Rhegion

Rhegion, Greek Ῥήγιον, Latin Regium, was an ancient Greek city located on the southern Italian mainland at the tip of Calabria, facing the island of Sicily across the Strait of Messina. The site lies near the modern city of Reggio di Calabria. Rhegion was one of the early Magna Graecia settlements that developed into a coastal port city important for Mediterranean maritime traffic and exchange.

Founded in the 8th century BCE, Rhegion grew as a strategic hub controlling access to the Strait of Messina and benefiting from trade between the Greek world, Sicily, and the broader western Mediterranean. Its position fostered Roman and Carthaginian interests in the region and frequent interactions with neighboring Greek poleis such as Zancle (modern Messina) and other Sicilian communities. The city minted coins and maintained fortifications, temples, and public buildings characteristic of Greek urban centers in southern Italy.

In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Rhegion continued as a significant port-city under evolving political arrangements and later became known to Latin authors as Regium. It remained a contested but enduring settlement through parts of the Roman era, contributing to regional commerce and military activity before declining in Late Antiquity. The site's significance persisted in the medieval era as Calabria remained a crossroads of cultures.

Today, the ancient site corresponds to portions of contemporary Reggio di Calabria, with archaeological remains and finds that illuminate the urban layout, harbor facilities, and public spaces of Rhegion. The history of Rhegion is studied within the broader narratives of Magna Graecia, Roman Sicily, and the coastal dynamics of the Strait of Messina.