Lucrinus Lacus or Lucrine Lake ( it, Lago di Lucrino; nap, Laco 'e Lucrine) is a lake in
Campania, southern Italy. It is less than one kilometre to the south of
Lake Avernus and is separated from the
Gulf of Pozzuoli by a narrow strip of land. Also known as the ''maricello'' ("little sea"), the size of present-day Lago Lucrino was significantly reduced by the rise of the
volcanic cone of
Monte Nuovo in 1538. The lake's modern dimensions are long and about deep.
The recorded history of Lucrinus Lacus dates back to
Sergius Orata
Caius Sergius Orata ( fl. c. 95 BC) was an Ancient Roman who was a successful merchant, inventor and hydraulic engineer. He is credited with inventing the cultivation of oysters and refinement to the hypocaust method of heating a building to prov ...
, who is credited with creating the first
oyster beds there. The lake was also a resort destination for residents of
Baiae
Baiae ( it, Baia; nap, Baia) was an ancient Roman town situated on the northwest shore of the Gulf of Naples and now in the ''comune'' of Bacoli. It was a fashionable resort for centuries in antiquity, particularly towards the end of the Roman ...
(cf.
Martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 and ...
i. 62). Its banks were covered with villas, of which the best known was
Cicero's villa Cumanum on the east bank, which was the seat of his ''Academia''. The remnants of this villa, and the nearby village of Tripergole, disappeared beneath ejecta from the eruption of
Monte Nuovo in 1538. According to a history by
Tacitus,
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from 49 to 54 AD, the fourth wife and niece of Emperor Claudius.
Agrippina was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claud ...
was murdered by the emperor
Nero's assassins in her villa on the shores of Lucrinus Lacus in AD 59 after escaping a unsuccessful murder attempt while sailing on another craft nearby.
The
Via Herculanea
Via or VIA may refer to the following:
Science and technology
* MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter
* ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae
* Via (electronics), a through-connection
* VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...
and a railway traverse the strip of land between the lake and the
Gulf of Pozzuoli. The road runs on an embankment, which
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
credited to
Heracles with constructing. This strip was reinforced with a sea wall and then opened by
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law, and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. He was responsible for the construction of some of the most notable buildi ...
to make a harbour of Lucrinus Lacus. He then joined Lucrinis Lacus to
Lago d'Averno
__NOTOC__
Lake Avernus ( it, Lago d'Averno) is a volcanic crater lake located in the Avernus crater in the Campania region of southern Italy, around west of Pozzuoli. It is near the volcanic field known as the Phlegraean Fields (') and comprises ...
by a canal, as recorded in
Virgil's ''
Georgics'', providing a sheltered harbour known as
Portus Julius for the Roman western fleet, invisible from the sea.
Today Lucrino is a ''
frazione'' of the ''
comune'' of
Pozzuoli.
Notes
References
* Endnote:
**
Karl Julius Beloch, ''Campanien'', ed. 2 (Breslau, 1890), 172.
{{Archaeological sites in Campania
Campanian volcanic arc
Roman sites of Campania
Lakes of Campania
Pozzuoli
Archaeological sites in Campania
Phlegraean Fields