巴斯利卡塔是意大利南部的一个大区,西边是坎帕尼亚,东边是普利亚, 南边是卡拉布里亚,它在伊特鲁里亚海上有一条短的海岸线,在东南部的爱奥尼亚海上的塔兰托湾中还有另一条海岸线。政区面积为9,992 km²,2001年拥有人口597,768 (人口密度60)。政区首府为波坦察。这个政区被分为两个省:波坦察和马特拉。
这个政区多为山地,亚平宁山脉南端的最高点为monte pollino(7325英尺)。西北角的monte vulture(4365英尺)是一座死火山。 由于山地过多这个政区的通讯直到现在仍十分落后,巴斯利卡塔是意大利最不发达的地区之一。
历史
在罗马时代这个地方叫卢查尼尔(lucania)并且与南方的bruttii政区一起管理。这个政区之所以称为卢查尼尔,是因为公元前5世纪中叶的时候,''卢查尼尔人''(lucani、lucanians)曾侵入这个地区,控制当地部落,希腊的oenotrians和choni进入这个多山的区域。两侧的海岸线都被强大的希腊殖民地所拥有,成为magna graecia的一部分。
卢查尼尔人讲奥斯坎语。斯特雷波说他们有民主的宪法,在战争时期还保持从正式的行政长官中选一个当君主。少量幸存的前4世纪或前3世纪的奥斯坎语碑文和硬币使用希腊的字母表。
此后他们开始与塔朗多/塔仑它木的希腊殖民地对抗, 反抗前326年被塔仁坦人叫来帮忙的伊庇鲁斯国王亚历山大, 这样伊庇鲁斯人就开始干涉magna graecia的事务。
in 298, livy records, they made alliance with rome, and roman influence was extended by the colonies of venusia (291), paestum (greek posidonia, refounded in 273), and above all roman tarentum (refounded in 272). subsequently, however, the lucanians suffered by choosing the losing side in the various wars on the peninsula in which rome took part. they were sometimes in alliance with rome, but more frequently engaged in hostilities, during the samnite wars. when pyrrhus of epirus landed in italy, 281 they were among the first to declare in his favor, and after his abrupt departure they were reduced to subjection, in a ten year campaign (272). enmity continued to run deep; they espoused the cause of hannibal during the second punic war (216), and lucania was ravaged by both armies during several campaigns. the country never recovered from these disasters, and under the roman government fell into decay, to which the social war, in which the lucanians took part with the samnites against rome (90 - 88 bc), gave the finishing stroke. in the time of strabo the greek cities on the coast had fallen into insignificance, and owing to the decrease of population and cultivation malaria began to obtain the upper hand. the few towns of the interior were of no importance. a large part of the province was given up to pasture, and the mountains were covered with forests, which abounded in wild boars, bears and wolves.