Croton

Greek town (now Crotone) on the east coast of Bruttium (now Calabria, Italy). It was founded by Achaeans 710 BC and quickly prospered because it had the only harbour between Tarentum (now Taranto) and Rhegium (Reggio). The Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras founded his religious brotherhood in Croton about 535 BC.

The Crotonians destroyed the rival Calabrian city Sybaris 510 BC, but in 480 BC were themselves defeated by the Epizephyrian Locrians and others, after which the city gradually declined. It became subject to Rome 277 BC.

The site has disappeared, but on the neighbouring promontory (11 km/7 mi southeast) there are traces of the temple of Hera Lacinia, which was reached from the town by a processional way.

Croton

River flowing through eastern New York, USA; length 100 km/60 mi. It is formed by the junction of three headstreams, the West, Middle, and East branches, which converge as they enter Westchester County, and flows southwest to the Hudson River, supplying the New Croton Reservoir.

The New Croton Dam (661 m/2,168 ft long, 91 m/297 ft high) was completed in 1905 to replace an earlier structure, 5 km/3 mi above the river's mouth. The reservoir's waters, drawing from various sources, are brought to the city of New York by the Croton Aqueduct, a tunnel 50 km/31 mi long, built in 1842 to provide water for the city.