Taras was the Spartan colony in southern Italy that became the Greek city of Tarentum.
Tarentum, called Taras by the Greeks, was founded in the late eighth century BCE in the region later known as Apulia. Ancient traditions connected its foundation with Phalanthus, a Spartan leader, although the details of the foundation story are mythic and vary between sources. The colony occupied a strong coastal position on the Gulf of Taranto.
Tarentum became the most powerful Greek city in southern Italy. Its harbor supported trade, while its fertile territory supplied agricultural wealth. The city also developed a reputation for artistic and intellectual activity, producing the philosopher and mathematician Archytas in the fourth century BCE.
Tarentum’s Spartan origin did not make it a political extension of Sparta. Like other Greek colonies, it developed its own institutions and regional interests. Roman expansion eventually brought the city under Roman control after the Tarentine War, which ended in 272 BCE.