) ▁c ite ▁as ▁" E not ria " ▁contemporary ▁Bas il ic ata . ▁From Ge ography of ▁Stra bo ▁we ▁learn ▁that ▁" before ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁the ▁Gree ks ▁on ▁the ▁I onian ▁coast ▁of ▁Bas il ic ata , ▁and ▁there ▁were ▁Ch oni ▁En ot ri . ▁The ▁second ▁O en ot rian ▁D ion ys ius ▁of ▁Hal ic arn ass us ▁desc ended ▁from ▁O en ot rus , ▁origin ating ▁from ▁the ▁myth ical ▁hero ▁' Ar c ad ia ▁who ▁arrived ▁around ▁ 1 8 0 0 ▁BC , ▁sub j ug ated ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁plant ▁and ▁vit icult ure . ▁His ▁successor , ▁Italy ▁became ▁far mers , ▁past oral ists , ▁inst itut ing ▁the ▁" S y ss it ia ". ▁Later ▁the ▁region ▁was ▁occupied ▁by ▁Sam n ites , ▁populations ▁Os co - Sam n ite ▁from ▁which ▁descend ▁the ▁Luci ani . ▁They ▁desc ended ▁from ▁the ▁mountains ▁of ▁S ann io ▁and ▁in ▁several ▁waves ▁occupied ▁the ▁pen ins ula . ▁They ▁pract iced ▁" s ac red ▁spring ": ▁when ▁the ▁population ▁grew ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁young ▁people ▁choose ▁a ▁symbol ▁( T ot em ) ▁and ▁partly ▁in ▁search ▁of ▁new ▁lands . ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁nation ▁of ▁proud ▁war riors , ▁powerful ▁enough ▁to ▁bind ▁the ▁Roman ▁army ▁for ▁fifty ▁years . ▁Rome ▁suffered ▁the ▁hum ili ation ▁of ▁defeat ▁at ▁the ▁Ca ud ine ▁F ork s , ▁and ▁then ▁re