The ancient city of Aurunca was the capital or metropolis of the little

mountain tribe Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

of the

Aurunci The Aurunci were an Italic tribe that lived in southern Italy from around the 1st millennium BC. They were eventually defeated by Rome and subsumed into the Roman Republic during the second half of the 4th century BC. Identity Aurunci is the na ...

(in the more limited sense of that name (see

)), was situated on one of the summits of the volcanic group of mountains, which rise above the plains of

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

, near Suessa and Teanum. The name Aurunca is found only in

Festus Festus may refer to: People Ancient world *Porcius Festus, Roman governor of Judea from approximately 58 to 62 AD *Sextus Pompeius Festus (later 2nd century), Roman grammarian *Festus (died 305), martyr along with Proculus of Pozzuoli *Festus (h ...

, who wrote that it was founded by Auson, the son of

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

and

Circe Circe (; grc, , ) is an Magician (paranormal), enchantress and a minor goddess in ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion. She is either a daughter of the Titans, Titan Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse (mythology), Perse ...

; but

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...

clearly alludes to its existence, though without mentioning the name. He tells us, that in 337 BC, the Aurunci, being hard pressed by their neighbours the

Sidicini The Sidicini (Ancient Greek Σιδικῖνοι) were one of the Italic peoples of ancient Italy. Their territory extended northward from their capital, Teanum Sidicinum (modern day Teano), along the valley of the Liri river up to Fregellae, cove ...

, abandoned their city, and took refuge at Suessa, which they fortified; and that their ancient city was destroyed by the Sidicini. Aurunca was never rebuilt, and hence no subsequent notice of it is found; but some vestiges of it have been discovered on the summit of a narrow mountain ridge, now called

La Serra La Serra is a small village (''curazia'') in the European republic of San Marino. Location This village is located in the northern part of the municipality of Acquaviva, and the only other village in Acquaviva is Gualdicciolo. Namesake La Serr ...

, or La Cortinella, about north of Suessa, where there are some fragments of the ancient walls, and massive substructions, probably those of a temple. The hill on which it stood forms part of the outer edge, or encircling ridge of an ancient volcanic crater, the highest point of which, called the Monte di Santa Croce, attains an elevation of above the sea; and the site of the ancient town must have been, like that of

Alba Longa Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources) was an ancient Latin city in Central Italy, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, in the vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills. Founder and head of the Latin League, it was d ...

, a long and narrow plateau on the summit of this ridge. It is to this elevated position that

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

alludes (''De collibus altis Aurunci misere patres''). For the description of the remains and site of the ancient city, see Abeken (1839) Suessa was frequently distinguished by the epithet Auranca, and hence

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the ''Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...

terms

Gaius Lucilius Gaius Lucilius (180, 168 or 148 BC – 103 BC) was the earliest Roman satirist, of whose writings only fragments remain. A Roman citizen of the equestrian class, he was born at Suessa Aurunca in Campania, and was a member of the Scipion ...

, who was a native of that city, ''Auruncae alumnus''. ''Juvenal'', i, 20

Notes

References

;Attribution *{{DGRG , last=Bunbury , first=Edward Hurbert , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_sYPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA343 , title=Aurunca , volume=I , page=343 History of Campania

See also

Notes

References