(Lat. Tarentum, Gr. Τάρειον), a town of Naples, at the northern extremity of the gulf of the same name, in the province of Otranto, 35 miles S.E. of Matera. The modern town occupies the site of the acropolis or citadel of the ancient Tarentum, which stood on a rocky island in front of the inner harbour. As the city grew, it was artificially joined to the mainland, but was afterwards separated for the sake of defence, and is now again connected by a bridge of seven arches, supporting an aqueduct. The streets are very narrow and gloomy, and the houses lofty and crowded together. The chief buildings are the castle, built by Charles V., commanding both seas, and flanked with enormous towers; the cathedral, and several other churches; numerous monasteries, nunneries, and several hospitals. Linen, cotton, velvet, muslin, and gloves are made here. The purple dye, for which Tarentum was famous in antiquity, is still esteemed. A large proportion of the inhabitants are employed in oyster and mussel fishing. Some trade is carried on; but the inner port is so choked up as to be inaccessible, and the outer one is very much exposed. Tarentum was a Spartan colony, founded about 708 B.C., under a leader called Phalanthus. Of the early history of the colony little is known; but it seems to have acquired importance by means of its fertile neighbourhood, which produced excellent wool, honey, and oil, its celebrated purple dye, and, above all, its excellent harbour, which was the best on that coast. The settlers frequently came into collision with the native inhabitants of the interior, and gained over them several victories. A reverse of fortune, however, occurred about the year 473 B.C., when the forces of Tarentum, along with those of Rhegium, suffered a great defeat from the Messapians. The loss thus inflicted seems to have fallen chiefly on the higher classes at Tarentum; for it led to a change of government there from aristocracy to democracy. But however great the disaster was it did not stop the progress of the town; and soon afterwards the Tarentines engaged in a war with the Thurians to prevent them from occupying the district about the Siris. This dispute was finally settled in 432 by the establishment of the joint colony of Heraclea in the debatable land. For a long period after this the Tarentines seem to have enjoyed the happiness of these nations whose annals are vacant. Their only wars were probably with their old enemies the Messapians, until the Lucanians began to threaten the safety of the Greek cities in Italy. When hard pressed by these barbarians, they applied for aid from foreign countries. The first who came to their assistance was Archidamus, king of Sparta, who landed in 346, but was at length defeated and slain in 338. Alexander of Epirus arrived in 332, and, after defeating the enemies of Tarentum, turned against his allies themselves, and took from them Heraclea. From this enemy they were relieved by his death in 326; and they seem to have been able to defend themselves without aid till 303, when they again applied to Sparta. Cleonymus was the deliverer now sent, and he compelled their enemies to accept terms of peace. About this time they formed a treaty with Rome, by which the vessels of that nation were not permitted to enter the Gulf of Tarentum. This condition was violated when, in 282, ten Roman vessels came within sight of the city itself. They were immediately attacked by the Tarentines, who sunk four of them and captured one. The victors thereafter sailed to Thurii, expelled the Roman garrison, and took the city. Reparation for these injuries was demanded by the Romans, and its contemptuous refusal by the Tarentines led to an immediate declaration of war Taranto (B.C. 281.) Foreign aid was, as usual, sought against this formidable enemy, and Pyrrhus of Epirus entered the Tarbagatal field in defence of Tarentum. His hard won victories and final defeat form part of the history of Rome. He finally retired from Italy in 274, leaving his general, Milo, to protect his allies; but he was unable to defend the city, and surrendered it in 272 to the Roman consul Papirius. Under the Romans Tarentum continued to enjoy its own laws, and a nominal independence; but as it was a military position of importance, a legion was commonly stationed there to overawe the town. At the second Punic war, after the great victory of Hannibal at Cannae, a Carthaginian party was formed at Tarentum; and by their aid, in 212, the city was surrendered to Hannibal, though the Roman garrison still held the citadel. The Carthaginian general, after a vain attempt to storm the castle, blockaded it for two years. At length, in 209, Fabius determined to expel the Carthaginians from the position they had gained; and succeeded in capturing the city, putting the garrison to the sword, and obtaining an immense amount of booty. From this severe blow Tarentum never wholly recovered; and although surpassed by the ports of Brundisium and Hydruntum, the fertility and salubrity of its environs, and the excellence of its harbour, saved it from the complete decay that overtook most of the Greek cities of Italy under the Roman sway. After the fall of the western empire, it fell into the hands of the Goths, from whom it was captured by Narses in 553 A.D. It remained subject to the eastern empire till it was taken in 661 by the Lombards; after whom the Saracens and the Greek emperors successively possessed it till 1063, when it was taken by Robert Guiscard. From that date it has always belonged to the kingdom of Naples. Pop. 15,000.