Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/734

 716 CULCHUL. sometimfis still tued, for in the Notitia of the Em- pire it is called Caloro, which means Gularo. It has been sappoeed by some geographers that Ctilaro was on an eminence on the right Innk of the /s^e, bat Grenoble is on the left hank of the river. There is, however, no fonndation for this opinion, which seems to have been adopted by those who suppose that the Isara was the lunit of the territory of the Allobroges, and that if Cnlaro was on the left bank it would not be within this territory. (D*An- Tille, Notice^ ^. ; Walckenaer, GSog. ^., vol. i. p. 263.) [6. L.] CULCHUL. [CuiciTL.] CUMAE (K^M^, Strab.,Thne., &c ; Kou/ioi, PtoL : Eih, Kvjualof, Cnmanos: Cuma a city on the coast of Campania, about six miles N. of Cape Misenom. It was one of the most ancient as well as celebrated of the Greek colonies in Italy, and Strabo expressly tells us that it was the earliest of all the Greek set- tlements either in that country or Sicily (Strab. v. p. 243), a statement which there is no reason for rejecting, although we may safely refuse to receive as historical the date assigned it by the later Greek chronologeiB, who would cany it back as &r as 1050 B.C. (Hieronym. Ckron. p. 100; Euseb. ed. Seal. p. 135.) Velleius Paterculus (i. 4), who men- tions its foundation next to that t^ Magnesia, and he/ore the Aeolic and Ionic migrations, must have adopted a similar view, though he does not venture to fix the year. The statements of a mythical cha- racter connected with its foundation, which represent the fleet of the colonists as guided by a dove, or by the nocturnal sound of brass cymbals, in themselves point to a vexy early period, which would leave room for such fabulous embelUshments. (Veil. Pat. L c; Niebohr, vol. iii. p. 177.) There is some discrepancy in regard to the people by whom it was founded, but there is little doubt that the statement of Strabo may be relied on, who describes it as a joint colony of the Chalcidians in Euboea, and the Cymaeans of Aeolis: the two founders being Hippocles of Cyme, and Megasthenes of Chalcis, and it being agreed that the new settlement should bear the name of one of its parent cities, while it ranked as a colony of the other. (Strab. v. p. 243.) Hence we always find Cnmae termed a Chalcidic, or Euboean city, though its name, as well as local traditions, preserved the recollection of its connection with the Asiatic Cyme. (Thuc vi. 3 ; Liv. viii. 22 ; Plin. iiL 5. s. 9 ; Viig. A en, y, 2; Ovid, Met xiv. 155; Stat ^o.iv. 3. 24, 116.) Velleius however, as well as Dionysius, drops all mention of the Cymaeans among the original colonists, and speaks of Cumae as founded by the Chalcidians, under Hippocles and Megasthenes, while Dionysius calls it a Greek city founded by tiie Eretriane and Chalcidians. Thoee writers indeed who adopted the veiy early date assigned to its settlement by the Greek chronologers, which placed it before the Aeolio migration, were compelled to exclude all co-operation on the part of the Asiatic Cyme : and it whs probably in order to overcome this difficulty that Scymnus Cluus represents it as colonised first by the Chalci- dians, and aftenoarde by the Aeolians. (Veil. Pat. L 5; Dionys. vii. 3; Scymn. Ch. 236—239.) A&. cording to Livy (viii. 22) the original settlement was made in the island of Aenaria, but the new comen found themselves so much disturbed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, that they removed from thence to the mamland. Strabo (v. p. 247) also notices the establishment of a colony of Eretrians and Chalci- dians in Aeivuria, but without indicating its date^ CUMAE. Whatever may have been the real epoch of th0 foundation of Cumae, it is certain that it rapidly rose to great wealth and prosperity. The extraor- dinary fertility of the surrounding country, as well as the excellence of the ndghbooring ports, gave it immense advantages, and the native populatioo of the interior seems to have been too scanty or too feeble to ofier any obstacle to the p i ogi ^ na s of the rising city. The period of its greatest p rosper i ty was probably from 700—^00 b. c. : at this tame it was inoontestably the first city in this part of Italy, and had extended its dominion over a great part of the province subsequently known as Campania. The fertile tract of plain called the Phlegraean fidds was included in its territory, as well as the nne-growtng hills that separate this plain from the Bay of Naples, on which Cumae possessed the two exceUent portscf Misenum and Dicaearchia. (Dionys. vii 3.) A little more distant it had planted the fioorishing ctdony of Neapdlis, which was doubtless at this time still de- pendent upon its parent city: and the statement which calls Abella and Nola Chalcidic towns (Justin, XX. 1) evidently indicates that Cumae had not only extended its influence over the interior, but had sought to strengthen it by the establishment of regular colonies. The great extent of its walls still attested in the Augustan age its fiMrmer power: and all accounts represent it as almost rivalling tiae Achaean colonies of Crotona and Sybaris in wealth and population. The government, like that of most of the Greek cities in Italy, was aristocratical, and continued so until the overthrow of its liberties bj Aristodemus. (Dionys. vii. 4.) The decline of Cnmae was probably owing in the first instance to the in- creasing power of the Etruscans, and especially to the maritime superiority established by that people in the Tyrrhenian Sea. But the Etruscan conquest of Campania soon brought them into hostile collision by land also: snd the first event in the history of Cumae that has been transmitted to ns, is that of the successful opposition which it was able to oflcr to a vast host of invaders, consisting (it is said) of Etruscans, Umbrians, and Daunians ( f). Exagge- rated as are the numbera of these enemies, who are said to have brought into the field 500,000 foot, and 28,000 horse, there seems no reason to doubt the historical fact of the invasion and its repulse. (Dionys. vii. 3, 4.) According to Dionysius, it took placo about 20 years before the usurpation of Aris- todemus, who first rose to distinction upon this occasion, and was subsequently appointed to command the auxiliary force sent by the Cumaeans to assist the Aridans against Aruns, the son of Porsena, (Liv. ii. 14; Dionys. v. 36, viL 5, 6.) His suocees in this expedition paved the way to his assumptiaa of supreme power, which he attained by the same arts as many other despots, by flattering the passions of the multitude, and making use of the democratio party to overthrow the oligarchy, after which he proceeded to surround himself witJi a guard of hired partisans, and disarm the rest of tiie people. Dio- nysius has left us a circumstantial account of the rise, government, and fidl of Aristodemus (vH. 3— 11; Died. viL Exc. Vales, p. 547), which, notwith- standing the soeptioism of Niebuhr (voL L p. 554, voLiii. p.178), may probably be received as historical^ at least in its mau outlines. According to that author his usurpation may be dated in b. o. 505, and he appears to have retained the sovereign power for above 20 years, when he was expelled by the descendants of those whom he had put to death or