The Boy on a Dolphin Taras Coin

In Greek mythology, Taras was the son of the Greek sea god Poseidon. Poseidon rescued Taras from a shipwreck by sending a dolphin to save him. The city, located on the site where he was brought ashore, was named in his honor. The Greek colonists called the city Taras (Τάρας), from the name of the mythical eponymous hero Taras, while the Romans, who connected the city to Rome with an extension of the Appian way, called it Tarentum. Taras was founded in 706 BC by Dorian immigrants as the only Spartan colony, and its origin is peculiar: the founders are parthenii, sons of unmarried Spartan women and perioikoi (free men, but not citizens of Sparta); these unions were decided by the Spartans to increase the number of soldiers (only the citizens of Sparta could become soldiers) during the bloody Messenian wars, but later they were nullified, and the sons were forced to leave. Phalanthus, the parthenian leader, went to Delphi to consult the oracle: the puzzling answer designed the harbour of Taranto as the new home of the exiles.

The Parthenii arrived in Apulia, and founded the city, naming it Taras after the son of the Greek sea god, Poseidon, and of a local nymph, Satyrion. According to other sources, Heracles founded the city. Another tradition indicates Taras as the founder of the city; the symbol of the Greek city (as well as of the modern city) is Taras riding a dolphin. Taras increased its power, becoming a commercial power and a sovereign city of Magna Graecia, ruling over the Greek colonies in southern Italy.

Taras, Tarentum, Calabria, Southern Italy, c. 300-280 B.C. This coin was issued during the war with Rome while Pyrrhus was in the West. To help finance the war, the weight of Nomo was reduced from c. 7.9 g to c. 6.6 g.

In 281 the Greek city of Tarentum, in southern Italy, fell out with Rome, and was faced with a Roman attack and certain defeat. Rome had already made itself into a major power, and poised to subdue all the Greek cities in Magna Graecia. The Tarentines asked from Pyrrhus to lead their war against the Romans. Pyrrhus was encouraged to aid the Tarentines by an oracle from Delphi. His goals were not, however, selfless. He recognized the possibility of carving out an empire for himself in Italy. He made an alliance with Ptolemy Ceraunus, King of Macedon and his most powerful neighbor, and arrived in Italy in 280 BC. He entered in Italy with forces of 3,000 cavalry, 2,000 archers, 500 slingers, 20,000 infantry and 19 war elephants in a bid to subdue the Romans.

Due to his superior cavalry and his elephants he defeated in Battle of Heraclea the Romans under their consul Publius Valerius Laevinus in 280 BC. Romans lost about 7,000 and Pyrrhus 4,000 soldiers. Though his casualties were high, this battle is not usually considered a Pyrrhic victory. Several tribes (the Lucani, Bruttii, and Messapians) and the Greek cities of Croton and Locri joined Pyrrhus. He then offered Romans a peace treaty, which was eventually rejected. Pyrrhus spent winter in Campania.

Peculiar link to Taras: The tarantella (tarentule, tarentella, tarantel) is a traditional dance in rapid 6/8 time characterised by the rapid whirling of couples. There are several local variations of this dance, including the Napolitan, Sicilian, and Calabrian. It is led by a central singer/speaker. A taratella is also a song that can be played by instrumentalists.

It is named after Taranto in southern Italy, and is popularly associated with the large local wolf spider or "tarantula" spider (Lycosa_tarentula) whose bite was allegedly deadly and could be cured only by frenetic dancing (see tarantism). In actual fact the spider's venom is not dangerous enough to cause any severe effects. and the spiders, far from being aggressive, avoid human contact.

The tarantella can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and may have evolved from an even older dance. According to legend, an epidemic of tarantula poisonings spread through the town of Taranto. The victims (tarantata) were typically farm women or others whose daily life might reasonably bring them into contact with the kinds of spiders that run in the fields. These supposed victims of spider bites would dance while villagers played mandolins or tambourines. Various rhythms were used until one worked, vigorous dancing ensued, and eventually the tarantata was cured. Many people have suggested that the whole business was a deceit to evade religious proscriptions against dancing. Regional variations on the tarantella abound, with the versions from Naples and Sicily probably the most widespread. This dance is a staple of some old-fashioned Southern Italian weddings.

Despite some speculative accounts, there are no arachnids known to have hallucinogenic venom. Instances of dancing mania however, have been explained as ergot "poisoning", or ergotism, known in the Middle Ages as "St. Anthony's Fire" which is caused by eating rye infected with Claviceps purpurea, a small fungus that contains toxic and psychoactive chemicals (alkaloids), including lysergic acid (used in modern times to synthesize LSD). Whether unusual psychological states caused by these or other agents were sometimes mistaken for the effects of spider bites is unknown. Dancing the tarantella alone was said to be unlucky, and thus it was always a couples dance, involving either a male and a female or two females. The tarantella is a circle dance, performed clockwise until the music in the set changes to become faster, after which everyone changes direction. This cycle occurs several times, eventually becoming so fast that it is very difficult to keep up with the beat. The music is generally led by a mandolin.