CUMA

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.