Sybarites
Sybarites, inhabitants of the ancient Greek city-state of Sybaris, on the southern coast of Italy. Sybaris was the richest city of its time. The Sybarites were famous throughout the Greek world for their wealth and luxurious way of life, and “sybarite” became a word used to describe anyone devoted to a life of pleasure.
Colonists from the Greek Peloponnesus founded Sybaris near the Gulf of Tarentum (Taranto) about 720 B.C. It rapidly became a center of trade, and the Sybarites flourished for 200 years. During that time, they established other colonies in southern Italy. Forces from Croton, a neighboring city, conquered the Sybarites in 510 B.C. and, according to legend, destroyed their city by diverting a river through it. It was not until 1968 that archeologists discovered what they believe is the site of ancient Sybaris.