The presence at contrada Bregatorto on the Dorsale Tabulare (a high ridge representing a natural
boundary along the western edges of the territory of Locri Epizephyrii) of a Greek fortification was
first reported in 2001 by Dr. Domenico Raso, who attributed it to ancient Locri. After it was
conclusively identified in 2015 on a terrace protected by steep ravines on three sides, at an
elevation of c. 980 m above sea level, a geophysical survey – including both a gradiometric survey
and two ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey – and test excavations conducted in 2017 and
2018 have located the main features of this outpost. Its perimeter walls followed the contour of the
terrace and enclosed an area of 1928 m². The fort was accessed through an entrance on the
northern side that appears to have been a recessed gateway, and had an inner courtyard. The
presence of a bastion or observation tower in the northeastern corner of the fortification, one of the
highest points of the terrace, has been inferred from the quantity of stone visible on the ground and
from the high reflectance values shown by the GPR in this area. The pottery from the excavations
includes fineware, cooking and commoware that find close comparanda at Locri. The
preponderance of the evidence indicates that this fort was constructed by the Locrians in the early
5 th century BCE and was occupied possibly throughout the 3 rd century BCE. A key node on the most
direct overland route linking ancient Locri with Métauros, Medma, and the Locrian sphere of
influence on the Tyrrhenian seabord, it was also a control point from which several routes
converging towards the Dorsale from the Jonian coast could be kept under surveillance.