I primi insediamenti arabi in Calabria

Abstract

The first Arabs’ settlements in Calabria are a clear and unavoidable consequence of the Islamic expansion that hit the Italian peninsula in IX century. In the light of their origin, structure and later history, all the attacks perpetrated by the Arabs are clearly not just disordered acts of looting, but planned incursions having as a final goal the conquer of Southern Italy. Their settlements became an important part of the economic and political state of the entire region.

Keywords: Islamic expansion, Arabs, Calabria, Aghlabid dynasty.