ENGLISH * CUMA
THE
SMALL ISOLATED HILL ( 82 METRES HIGH ) WE CAN SEE TO THE NORTH OF MISENO IS
CUMA,THE MYSTIC CITY OF ANTIQUUITY .ITS ORIGINS ARE SHROUDED IN MYSTERY AND
ITS POLITICAL LIFE WAS TURBULENT. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER IT WAS FOUNDED OR
MERELY OCCUPIED BY GREEKS FOR IT IS PROBABLE THAT ITALIC PEOPLES HAD ALREADY
SETTLED ON THE SITE NOR IS IT KNOWN WHERE THE GREEKS CAME FROM, EUBOEA, CHALCIS,
ERETRIA OR THE AEOLIAN CITY OF CYME, WHOSE NAME IT MIGHT HAVE ADOPTED AS ITS
OWN.
ONE THING IS CERTAIN, HOWEVER: CUMA IS KNOWN TO HISTORY AS A GREEK CITY AND
FIERCELY DEFENDED ITS GREEK IDENTITY, WARRING FIRST WITH THE ITALIC PEOPLES
OF CAMPANIA, AND THEN WITH THE ETRUSCANS OF CAPUA, ESPECIALLY AFTER IT HAD
EXTENDED ITS DOMINION OVER POZZUOLI AND NAPLES,
DURING THE SEVENTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES B.C. THE ETRUSCANS WERE DEFEATED TWICE
BY THE CUMAN GENERAL ARISTODEMUS, AND A THIRD TIME BY THEIR SYRACUSAN ALLY
GELON, AND SO THE PROSPECTS FOR HELLENISM WERE SAVED. YET ONLY FOR A SHORT
WHILE, AS THE ITALIC SAMNITES LATER TOOK THE CITY. IT NEVERTHLESS MAINTAINED
GREEK CUSTOMS AND CULTURE. UNDER THE ROMAN OCCUPATION OF CAMPANIA, CUMA, LIKE
POZZUOLI, RECEIVED THE STATUS OF * CIVITAS SINE SUFFRAGGIO *, AND SINCE IT
REMAINED LOYAL TO ROME DURING THE SECOND PUNIC WAR,IT GAINED THE RIGHT TO
USE THE LATIN LANGUAGE IN ITS OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. DURING THE CIVIL WAR,TOGETHER
WITH THE HARBOUR OF MISENO, IT SERVED AS A STRONGHOLD AND NAVAL BASE FOR OCTAVIAN,
AGAINST THE FLEET COMMANDED BY POMPEY. DURING THE LATE EMPIRE, IT WAS ONE
OF THE BETTER FORTIFIED CITADELS IN CAMPANIA AND REMAINED UNDER BYZANTINE
DOMINATION. IT LATER SHARED THE VICISSITUDES OF NAPLES.
CUMA WAS A PRE-EMINENTLY RELIGIOUS CITY. ON THE ACROPOLIS, AN IMPREGNABLE
FORTRESS CONNECTED BY A SINGLE GATEWAY TO THE CITY BELOW, THERE WAS THE TEMPLE
OF JOVE, OF WHICH, FROM ABOVE, WE CAN SEE ONLY A FEW REMAINS. TO THE NORTH,
ALONG THE PRECIPITOUS CREST OF THE LOWER TERRACE WE CAN SEE THE STILL QUITE
EXTENSIVE STRETCHES OF THE ENCLOSING WALL, ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF GREEK
TECHNIQUES OF FORTIFICATION. OTHER REMMANTS OF GREEK WALL CONSTRUCTIONS, HALF
CONCEALED BY LATER BYZANTINE DEFENCEWORKS, CAN BE DISTINGUISHED ON THE ACROPOLIS.
ON THE LOWER TERRACE,THE PILLARS FROM THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO,THE PRINCIPAL GREEK
GOD,ARE VISIBLE,AS IS THE ROMAN PAVING OF A ROAD WHICH CONNECTED THIS TEMPLE
TO THE ONE ABOVE, DEDICATED TO JOVE. THEY WERE REBUILT BY AUGUSTUS, AND UNDER
THE BYZANTINES BOTH WERE TRANSFORMED INTO CHRISTIAN BASILICAS. WHILST WE ENJOY
A CLEAR VIEW OF THE WALLS AND OF THE TEMPLES FROM ABOVE, WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE
THE AWESOME ATMOSPHERE AND AUSTERE SECLUSION OF THE SYBIL'S CAVE. THIS WAS
CUT DIRECTLY OUT OF THE ROCK, IN A TRAPEZOID SHAPE, AND IS DESCRIBED BY VIRGIL
AS HAVING * A HUNDRED WIDE MOUTHS, A HUNDRED GATEWAYS *.IN THE CAVE,THE CUMAN
SYBIL PRONOUNCED HER ORACLES. HERE AENEAS CAME TO DISCOVER THE DESTINY OF
THE CITY HE WAS TO FOUND. HE WENT ON FROM CUMA TO AVERNUS, WHERE THE DEAD
DWELT, TO SPEAK WITH HIS FATHER ANCHISES. SHADED BY TREES AND SMELLING OF
MOSS, THE ENTRACE STILL EXERTS ITS MYTHICAL POWER OF SUGGESTION.
TO THE EAST OF THE NECROPOLIS WHERE THE EXCAVATIONS CARRIED OUT AT THE END
OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BY STEVENS BROUGHT TO LIGHT AN IMMENSE COLLECTION
OF VASES AND TOMB-FURNISHINGS WE CAN JUST GLIMPSE, FROM OUR ALTITUDE, THE
GREAT ARCO FELICE, 22 METRES HIGH. IT WAS CONSTRUCTED AT THE BEHEST OF DOMITIAN
BY HOLLOWING OUT AND DIVIDING MONTE GRILLO.
TELERADIOSTELLA
DEL GOLFO