Amalfi was founded about the 4th century A.D. by some Roman aristocratic families who took shelter from the barbarian invasions on the Coast. Initially belonging to the Byzantine dukedom of Naples, Amalfi was later to become an independent republic, namely in 893. It was ruled by earls, dukes, reaching the maximum of its splendour in commerce, navigation, art and wealth by the end of the 10th century. In the late Middle Ages Amalfi was an important sea and commercial centre which, at the same time, maintained relationships with Arabs from Africa, Byzantines, Longobards and Normans.
The port of Amalfi was constantly frequented by merchants and sailors coming from ad over the Mediterranean, the Amalfi ships provided spices, fabrics and precious stones the most important Italian commercial towns. The current coin was the Tari. As a sea-power Amalfi was to last some 300 years and over, even when finally conquered by the Normans En 1131, it lost its political indipendence. A number of negative reasons, among them the Crusades, the rival powers in the Mediterranean (Pisans and Genoese), the sea storms which eventually the unfulfilled development of the maritime structures brought about the end of Amalfi as an economic and sea power.
Amalfi was the home of famous people who worked in various fields from literature to arts, science, diplomacy. The most remarkable among them surely was Flavio Gioia who invented the magnetic compass.