Hi chengek,
This turned out to be a most fascininating question to research!
Because Aeclanum was such an ancient city, there is not an abundance
of information about it. Most of the available information is found on
Italian sites. I have included some in my answer, though they are very
poorly translated, and of limited value.
Aeclanum was an ancient town in Samnium, Italy, a region of the
southern Apennines in what is now an area known as Mirabella, Eclano.
Aeclanum was first inhabited by the Samnites, a group of Sabellic
tribes that controlled the area from about 600 BC to about 290 BC.
Aeclanum was situated near a fork of the Appian Way, the main road to
Greece, and was destroyed in 89 BC, by Sulla, a Roman general. Once
the Romans arrived, Hadrian, a Spanish born Roman emperor, founded a
Roman colony where Aeclanum stood.(Yes, this is the same Hadrian who
is famous for the wall in Britain!) The ruins seen in pictures in this
answer are Roman built.
http://www.free-definition.com/Aeclanum.html
http://www.free-definition.com/Samnium.html
http://77.1911encyclopedia.org/A/AE/AECLANUM.htm
About Sulla
http://heraklia.fws1.com/contemporaries/sulla/
Speaking of the Mirabella, Eclano, Province of Avellino, Campania,
Italy, this ItalyWorldClub site says ?The origins of the town are very
old (the Samnites called it Aeclanum) and it was destroyed and rebuilt
many times during the centuries. Only in 1340 its name became as we
know it today. Very interesting are the ruins of the Samnite
settlement which became in 89 AD a roman Municipium. Not to be missed
is the "feast of the Obelisco" celebrated on the third Saturday of
September in honour of the Virgin Mary. ?
http://www.italyworldclub.com/campania/avellino/mirabellaeclano.htm
This is a very poorly translated site, one that is almost
unintelligible. I?m posting it for its bits of information.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.campaniafelix.it/mirabella/scavi_di_aeclanum.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAeclanum%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN
Aeclanum had a ?famous? cult priestess, Cantria Longina. ?Cantria
Longina, sacerdos (priest), flaminica (priestess of the Imperial
cult), and poet (?) at Aeclanum, Samnium (modern Eclano, southern
Italy), late 1st cent. CE. She held priesthoods of the deified Julia
(probably the daughter of the emperor Titus), of the Great Mother of
the Gods, and of Isis. In gratitude for the honor of her priesthoods,
she donated 50,000 sesterces to the public treasury. Her husband was
the magistrate and writer Marcus Pomponius Cornelius Bassulus. Longina
may have been the author of his verse epitaph. Her father?s name was
Publius Cantrius, and the priestess Cantria Paulla may have been her
sister.?
Sources: CIL 9.1153 = ILS 6487= Malaise, Aeclanum 1; CIL 9.1164 = ILS 2953.
History Department Washington State University History Department, Dr.
Kathryn E. Meyer and Mary Jane Engh.
http://www.mjengh.com/work16.htm
It appears that the name "Aeclanum" is a Romanized version of the
Samnite tribal name ?Aikolanom? The site below is a very poorly
translated site, and it is difficult to pluck out good information. I
have provided the original, in Italian, in case you know Italian, or
someone who does. Look for the link labeled ?Archeological rests? to
see some crude photos of ruins in Aeclanum.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://scaviaeclanum.altervista.org/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAeclanum%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Dactive
Original Italian site
http://scaviaeclanum.altervista.org/
Another badly translated Italian site: This site seems to be saying
that about 20% of the Roman ruins of Aeclanum has been excavated, that
there was an ampitheater where Roman gladiators fought with wild
animals, that there was a cult to the goddess Mefite, and that there
was a baptismal font of some kind, with a Greek Cross.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.canale58.com/modules.php%3Fname%3DSections%26op%3Dviewarticle%26artid%3D3&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAeclanum%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Dactive
Yet another poorly translated site:
It is nearly impossible to decipher information from this site, but
you can see some photos.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.archemail.it/1smirab1.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAeclanum%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN
Oxford Classical Dictionary - 2nd edition:"Samnium", pp.948-949, ©1970.
" Oscan-speaking region in the southern Apennines. Its inhabitants,
primitive and warlike, lived mostly in agricultural villages,
frequently unwalled and unidentifiable. The Samnites were divided into
four tribal states (Caraceni, Caudini, Hirpini, Pentri), each
administered by a meddix, but were linked together in a confederation
which had a federal diet and possibly an assembly. A generalissimo led
the confederation in wartime. (Frentani and other Sabelli, although
ethnic Samnites, were not members of it.) After their treaty with Rome
(354 B.C.) the Liris evidently became their boundary with Latium.
Shortly thereafter, their neighbors sought Roman protection. By
granting it the Romans precipitated the Samnite Wars. The first
(343-341), often unconvincingly reckoned apocryphal, resulted in Roman
control of northern Campania; the second (327-321, 316-304), despite
the Samnite success at the Caudine Forks, prevented Samnite control of
Apulia, Lucania and southern Campania; the Third (298-290) involved
and decided the destiny of all peninsular Italy. Samnium, still
unbowed, then supported Pyrrhus, but the Romans defeated him and split
Samnium apart with Latin colonies at Beneventum and Aesernia. Samnium
helped Hannibal and lost both population and territory when the Second
Punic War was over. Subsequently depopulation increased; pastoral
pursuits gradually replaced agricultural and by 180 Samnium could
accommodate transported Ligurians. The Samnites fought implacably in
the Social War and in the Civil against Sulla, who slaughtered all he
could. The survivors underwent romanization. Chief towns: Aufidena,
Bovianum Vetus (Caraceni); Caiata, Caudium, Cupulteria, Saticula,
Telesia
( Caudini); Abellinum, Aeclanum, Beneventum, Compsa (Hirpini);
Aesernia, Allifae, Bovianum, Saepinum (Pentri). The alleged Samnite
provenance of pilum, scutum, and maniple is very questionable. "
http://www.users.voicenet.com/~mimir/Samnites.html
Additional Information:
See a map of Samnium, Italy here. (Aeclanum is not on this map?)
http://www2.ocn.ne.jp/~greekart/site/campsamn/campmap.html
Here is a map of Italy, showing the province of Samnium, 264 BC
http://www.roangelo.net/valente/samnium.html
Appian Way
http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Gazetteer/Periods/Roman/Topics/Engineering/roads/Appia/Britannica_1911*.html
About the Samnites
http://www.barca.fsnet.co.uk/Samnites.htm
?Samnites under Cluentius attempt to relieve Roman siege of Pompeii
but are defeated at Nola by Sulla, who then invades Samnium and
captures Compsa and Aeclanum, forcing the Hirpini to surrender.?
http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/rome/samnites.htm
I hope this helps you with some background on Aeclanum! I wish there
had been much more, as this was very interesting, and made me want to
know more!
If any part of my answer is unclear, please request an Answer
Clarification, before rating. This will enable me to assist you
further, if possible.
Regards,
crabcakes
Search Terms
Aeclanum
Marbella Italy
Samnites
Sulla |
Clarification of Answer by
crabcakes-ga
on
06 Apr 2004 19:08 PDT
Hi chengek,
Don;t give up on me just yet! I need to make a run to the Emergency
Room, and if I get back tonight, I'll continue working. Here's are two
teeny more bits of information I found just now:
?During the third Samnite war, afler the collapse of northern Samnium,
the Samnites had concentrated their forces in the territory of
Aquilonia, within the Lacedonia - S.Agata di Puglia - Scampitella
triangle. Here, the Samnites' legio linteata was crushed by the Roman
army led by Lucius Papirius Cursor. Most scholars, even very
knowledgeable ones, continue to ignore the geographic position of
Aquilonia in Samnium. In the town of Lacedonia there is abundant
pottery and archaeological material, mostly buried, dating from the
Samnite (fourth-third century BC) and Roman (second century BC-first
century AD) periods. The area is stili unexplored. According to an
ancient roadmap (250 AD), Aquilonia lay along the Appia road between
Aeclanum and Pons Aufidi. The mutatio of Aquilonia, located in ?Capo
dell'Acqua?, near monte Origlio, is six miles away from the mutatio of
Subromola (the fountain of Serroni di Bisaccia) and 11 miles from
Pontaufidi (the villa and springs of Siricciardi, in the Monteverde
countryside). It should be noted that the distances reported in the
Tabuta Peutingeriana are inverted in the Subromula-Pontaufidi stretch.
The vestiges of the settlement of Lacedonia, dated to the Samnite
period, lie on a sandstone hill honeyeombed with still unexplored
ancient caves and galleries. All the published and unpublished Roman
inscriptions found in the area originally come from the town and
pertain to the municipium established there after the Social War.
Other fragmentary inscriptions are kept in the Episcopal Seminar.
Thirteen Latin epigraphs found in Lacedonia and its territory were
published by Theodor Mommsen in his Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum.
The epigraphic documents of Lacedonia, the only source of information
un the town in the Roman period, were never the object of scientifie
study. The ancient town, Lacedonia, was rich in monuments and
inscriptions. The ancient stones were reworked, squared, and
re-employed in the buildings of the medieval and modem town.?
http://www.lacedonia.com/storia/akudunnia/inglese.htm
?For example, in 89 BC Sulla captured Aeclanum, the chief town of
Hirpini, by setting the wooden breastwork which defended it on fire.
As a result, he was elected consul for the first time in 88 BC, having
Quintus Pompeius Rufus as a colleague.?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Cornelius_Sulla
Sincerely,
crabcakes
|
Clarification of Answer by
crabcakes-ga
on
07 Apr 2004 01:12 PDT
Hi there changek,
Well, I gave it my best shot, and this is what I have found. Most of
what I found still mentions Aeclanum in passing. Some of the sites
below outline the history of the people and the region itself. I have
provided you with some books tha tyou may find useful.
This site discusses Aeclanum in passing, but gives some background
information on the entire region.
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/C/CA/CAMPANIA.htm
?The original road, too, opted in imperial times a more devious but
easier route by clanum instead of by Trevicum. This was restored by
Ldrian for the 15 m. between Beneventum and Aeclanum?
??inexperienced readers might think that Aeclanum is in Umbria?
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2001/2001-07-13.html
This Italian site mentions Aeclanum, but it appears to contain no new information.
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/davmonac/sanniti/touxpet.html
?We visited the archeological village of Aeclanum, the ill-omened
place where Forche Caudine took place, the delightful Frigento,
Gravina di Puglia, the imposing ruins of the old Egnazia, the places
where the famous Battle of Canne took place and the rests of the old
Herdoniae, hidden in a corn field. Traces of the old road have also
been found deep in the Castellaneta countryside.?
http://www.ciak2000.it/regina_e.htm
This site does NOT mention Aeclanum, but gives some background on the
history of the Samnites.
http://pirate.shu.edu/~vigorimi/genealogy/first_millenium_BC.html
More background on Samnites:
?The Samnites were an important sister tribe of the Latins. Their
capital was modern Benevento in the rugged terrain east of Naples. At
the time of the first contacts between Roman and Samnite (around 350
BC), Samnium was larger than any other contemporary state in Italy.
For almost two centuries, the Romans and Samnites fought for control
of South/Central Italy. As warriors, the Samnites were ferocious, and
some say they were the ones who gave the Romans the idea for those
gruesome gladiator fights to the death. In the year 321 BC Samnium
defeated the Romans at the Battle of the Caudine Forks near Benevento.
It was one of the most devastating defeats in Roman military history.
The Romans, however, rearmed and prevailed. In 82 BC the history of
the Samnites as a distinct people came to an end when Sulla defeated
them at one last battle and slaughtered the thousands of Samnite
prisoners. The remaining inhabitants of Samnium were dispersed. Today,
there is a Samnite museum in Benevento and an impressive
archaeological site, Pietrabbondante, in the mountains of the province
of Isernia.?
http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/ancient.html
Samnites history:?In mid-4C BC, following its gradual expansion, Rome
necessarily came up against the Samnites who had descended from the
heart of the central-southern Apennines towards the fertile lands of
Campania, where they rapidly conquered the flourishing towns of Capua
(438 BC) and Cuma (421 BC). The rich town of Paestum had already been
occupied by the Lucanians. Rome wisely entered an alliance with the
Samnites (354 BC) against the pressure of the nearby populations.
Conflict with the Samnites for Campanian dominance was however
inevitable and lasted for over half a century (343-290 BC). It had
three distinct phases with alternating fortunes, such as the crushing
Roman defeat at Caudine Forks (321 BC), until Rome won the definitive
victory at Sentinum (295 BC) against a coalition that also included
Etruscans and Senones, a Gallic tribe.?
http://web.archive.org/web/20021216143705/www.mi.cnr.it/WOI/deagosti/history/tribes.html
More Samnites:? The Samnites were Oscan-speaking and therefore should
be included among the Sabelli. The Tabula Agnonensis, a bronze tablet
that carries an inscription engraved in the full Oscan alphabet, is an
important record of the language. The loose confederation of
agricultural tribes, expanding in the 4th cent. B.C., came into
conflict with the Romans over Campania. There was probably a good deal
of warfare before the three Samnite Wars (343?341 B.C., c.326?304
B.C., 298?290 B.C.), in which the Romans won control of central and S
Italy. Although the Samnites continued to fight against Rome with
Pyrrhus, Hannibal and later Marius in the Social War, they were
crushed (82 B.C.) by Sulla before the gates of Rome; most of them were
killed. Some survivors were sold into slavery; the rest were
Romanized.?
http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/S/Samnites.html
Finally, the information you seek may be in one of these books on ancient history:
http://www.a-ten.com/art/history.htm
Ancient sites in Italy are mentioned in the Latin passages in the 6th
edition of Wheelock's Latin, Richard A. LaFleur (ed.). A copy of an
ancient map also appears in the book itself
http://www.unc.edu/awmc/downloads/awmcMap4.html
The following books are all in Italian, but pertain to Samnium archeology.
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/davmonac/sanniti/smbiblio.html
I wish I was able to find more for you. I'm doubtful that any more
useful information can be found online, as I have used numerous search
engines, and scoured many archeology and historical sites. I must call
it quits now.
Sincerely,
crabcakes
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