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CUMAE (Gr. Kb/.m)
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See also:CUMAE (Gr. Kb/.m) , an See also:ancient See also:city of See also:Campania, See also:Italy, about 12 M. W. of Neapolis, on the W. See also:coast of Campania, on a volcanic See also:eminence, overlooking the See also:plain traversed by the See also:Volturno. There are many legends as to its See also:foundation, but even the actual See also:period of its colonization by the Greeks is so See also:early (ancient authorities give it as 1050 B.C.) that there is some doubt as to who established it, whether Chalcidians from See also:Euboea or Aeolians from Ki jnj(Cyme), and it should probably be regarded as a See also:joint See also:settlement. It was certainly, as See also:Strabo says, the See also:oldest of the See also:Greek colonies on the mainland of Italy or in See also:Sicily. See also:Livy tells us (viii. 22) that the settlers first landed on Pithecusae (See also:Ischia) and thence transferred their position to the mainland, which seems a probable See also:story. We find it in 721 B.C. See also:founding Zancle (See also:Messina) in Sicily jointly with See also:Chalcis, and it extended its See also:power gradually over the coast of the Gulf of See also:Puteoli and the harbours of the promontory of See also:Misenum. Puteoli itself under the name Dicaearchia was probably founded by Cumae. In the 7th See also:century, according to the legends, Parthenope, whither the demos of Cumae had taken See also:refuge after an unsuccessful rising against the See also:aristocracy, was attacked by the latter and destroyed, but soon rebuilt under the name of Neapolis (New City, the See also:present See also:Naples) .2 The most fertile portion of the Campanian plain was also under its dominion; the name " fossa Graeca " still lingered on in 205 B.C. to testify to its ancient limits. Cumae was now at the height of its power, and many See also:fine coins testify to its prosperity. In 524 B.C. it was the See also:object of a joint attack by the Etruscans of See also:Capua, the Daunians of the See also:district of See also:Nola, and the See also:Aurunci of the See also:Mons See also:Massicus. A brilliant victory was, however, won in the hilly district outside the See also:town, largely owing 1 From See also:Late See also:Lat. cultivare, through cultivus, from colere, to till, cultivate; whence cultus, See also:worship, See also:form of See also:religion, cult. 2 See also:Mommsen, however (Corpus Inscrip. Latin. x., See also:Berlin, 1883, p. 170), rightly throws considerable doubt on the existence of Parthenope and even of Palaeopolis, of which there is some mention in See also:Roman See also:annals; under both he is inclined to trace Cumae itself. See also:group of See also:parliamentary burghs. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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