THE SECOND REGION OF ITALY

Latine · Mayhoff 1906

A Lacinio promunturio secundus Europae sinus incipit, magno ambitu flexus et Acroceraunio Epiri finitus promunturio, a quo abest LXXV. oppidum Croto, amnis Neaethus, oppidum Thuri inter duos amnes Crathim et Sybarim, ubi fuit urbs eodem nomine. similiter est inter Sirim et Acirim Heraclea, aliquando Siris vocitata. flumina Talandrum, Casuentum, oppidum Metapontum, quo tertia Italiae regio finitur. mediterranei Bruttiorum Aprustani tantum; Lucanorum autem Atinates, Bantini, Eburini, Grumentini, Potentini, Sontini, Sirini, Tergilani, Vrsentini, Volcentani, quibus Numestrani iunguntur. praeterea interisse Thebas Lucanas Cato auctor est, et Pandosiam Lucanorum urbem fuisse Theopompus, inqua Alexander Epirotes occubuerit.

Conectitur secunda regio amplexa Hirpinos, Calabriam, Apuliam, Sallentinos, CCL sinu qui Tarentinus appellatur ab oppido Laconum—in recessu hoc intimo situm, contributa eo maritima colonia, quae ibi fuerat, abest CXXXVI a Lacinio promunturio —, adversam ei calabriam in paeninsulam emittens. Graeci Messapiam a duce appellavere et ante Peucetiam a Peucetio Oenotri fratre in Sallentino agro. inter promunturia C??? intersunt. latitudo paeninsulae a Tarento Brundisium terreno itinere XXXXV patet multoque brevius a portu Sasine. oppida per continentem a Tarento Vria, cui cognomen ob Apulam Messapiae, Aletium, in ora vero Senum, Callipolis, quae nunc est Anxa, LXXV a Tarento. inde XXXIII promunturium quod Acran Iapygiam vocant, quo longissime in maria excurrit Italia. ab eo Basta oppidum et Hydruntum decem ac novem milia passuum, ad discrimen Ionii et Hadriatici maris, qua in Graeciam brevissimus transitus, ex adverso Apolloniatum oppidi latitudine intercurrentis freti L??? non amplius. hoc intervallum pedestri continuare transitu pontibus iactis primum Pyrrus Epiri rex cogitavit, post eum M. Varro, cum classibus Pompei piratico bello praeesset; utrumque aliae inpedivere curae. ab Hydrunte Soletum desertum, dein Fratuentium, portus Tarentinus, statio Miltopes, Lupia, Balesium, Caelia,Brundisium L??? p. ab Hydrunte, in primis Italiae portu nobile ac velut certiore transitu sicuti longiore, excipiente Illyrici urbe Durrachio CCXXV traiectu. Brundisio conterminus Poediculorum ager. novem adulescentes totidemque virgines ab Illyriis XII populos genuere. Poediculorum oppida Rudiae, Gnatia, Barium, amnes Iapyx a Daedali filio rege, a quo et Iapygia Acra, Pactius, Aufidus ex Hirpinis montibus Canusium, praefluens. hinc Apulia Dauniorum cognomine a duce Diomedis socero, in qua oppidum Salapia Hannibalis meretricio amore inclutum, Sipuntum, Vria, amnis Cerbalus, Dauniorum finis, portus Aggasus, promunturium montis Gargani, a Sallentino sive Iapygio CCXXXIIII ambitu Gargani, portus Garnae, lacus Pantanus, flumen portuosum Fertor. Teanum Apulorum itemque Larinum, Cliternia, Tifernus amnis. inde regio Frentana. ita Apulorum genera tria: Teani a duce e Grais; Lucani subacti a Calchante, quae nunc loca tenent Atinates; Dauniorum praeter supra dicta coloniae Luceria, Venusia, oppida Canusium, Arpi, aliquando Argos Hippium Diomede condente, mox Argyripa dictum. Diomedes ibi delevit gentes Monadorum Dardorumque et urbes duas, quae in proverbii ludicrum vertere, Apinam et Tricam. cetera intus in secunda region Hirpinorum colonia una Beneventum auspicatius mutato nomine, quae quondam appellata Maleventum, Aeculani, Aquiloni, Abellinates cognomine Protropi, Compsani, Caudini, ligures qui cognominantur Corneliani et qui Baebiani, Vescellani. Ausculani, Aletrini, Abellinates cognominati Marsi, Atrani, Aecani, Alfellani, Atinates, Arpani, Borcani, collatini, Corinenses et nobiles clade Romana Cannenses, Dirini, Forentani, Genusini, Herdonienses, Irini, Larinates cognomine Frentani, Metinates ex Gargano, Mateolani, Neretini, Natini, Rubustini, Silvini, Strapellini, Turnantini, Vibinates, Venusini, Vlurtini. — Calabrorum mediterranei Aezetini, Apamestini, Argetini, Butuntinenses, Deciani, Grumbestini, Norbanenses, Palionenses, Stulnini, Tutini. — Sallentinorum Aletini, Basterbini, Neretini, Vzentini, Veretini.

English · Bostock & Riley 1855–57

At the promontory of Lacinium begins the second Gulf of Europe, the bend of which forms an arc of great depth, and terminates at Acroceraunium, a promontory of Epirus, from which it is distant seventy-five miles. We first come to the town of Croton, and then the river Neæthus, and the town of Thurii, situate between the two rivers Crathis and Sybaris, upon the latter of which there was once a city of the same name. In a similar manner Heraclia, sometimes called Siris, lies between the river of that name and the Aciris. We next come to the rivers Acalandrus and Casuentum, and the town of Metapontum, with which the third region of Italy terminates. In the interior of Bruttium, the Aprustani are the only people; but in Lucania we find the Atinates, the Bantini, the Eburini, the Grumentini, the Potentini, the Sontini, the Sirini, the Tergilani, the Ursentini, and the Volcentani, whom the Numestrani join. Besides these, we learn from Cato that Thebes in Lucania has disappeared, and Theopompus informs us that there was formerly a city of the Lucani called Pandosia, at which Alexander, the king of Epirus, died.

Adjoining to this district is the second region of Italy, which embraces the Hirpini, Calabria, Apulia, and the Salentini, extending a distance of 250 miles along the Gulf of Tarentum, which receives its name from a town of the Laconians so called, situate at the bottom of the Gulf, to which was annexed the maritime colony which had previously settled there. Tarentum is distant from the promontory of Lacinium 136 miles, and throws out the territory of Calabria opposite to it in the form of a peninsula. The Greeks called this territory Messapia, from their leader; before which it was called Peucetia, from Peucetius, the brother of Œnotrius, and was comprised in the territory of Salentinum. Between the two promontories there is a distance of 100 miles. The breadth across the peninsula from Tarentum to Brundusium by land is 35 miles, considerably less if measured from the port of Sasina. The towns inland from Tarentum are Varia surnamed Apulia, Messapia, and Aletium; on the coast, Senum, and Callipolis, now known as Anxa, 75 miles from Tarentum. Thence, at a distance of 32 miles, is the Promontory of Acra Iapygia, at which point Italy projects the greatest distance into the sea. At a distance of 19 miles from this point is the town of Basta, and then Hydruntum, the spot at which the Ionian is separated from the Adriatic sea, and from which the distance across to Greece is the shortest. The town of the Apolloniates lies opposite to it, and the breadth of the arm of the sea which runs between is not more than fifty miles. Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, was the first who entertained the notion of uniting these two points and making a passage on foot, by throwing a bridge across, and after him M. Varro, when commanding the fleet of Pompey in the war against the Pirates. Other cares however prevented either of them from accomplishing this design. Passing Hydruntum, we come to the deserted site of Soletum, then Fratuertium, the Portus Tarentinus, the haven of Miltopa, Lupia, Balesium, Cælia, and then Brundusium, fifty miles from Hydruntum. This last place is one of the most famous ports of Italy, and, although more distant, affords by far the safest passage across to Greece, the place of disembarkation being Dyrrachium, a city of Illyria; the distance across is 225 miles.

Adjoining Brundusium is the territory of the Pediculi; nine youths and as many maidens, natives of Illyria, became the parents of sixteen nations. The towns of the Pediculi are Rudiæ, Egnatia, and Barium; their rivers are the Iapyx (so called from the son of Dædalus, who was king there, and who gave it the name of Iapygia), the Pactius, and the Aufidus, which rises in the Hirpinian mountains and flows past Canusium.

At this point begins Apulia, surnamed the Daunian, from the Daunii, who take their name from a former chief, the father-in-law of Diomedes. In this territory are the towns of Salapia, famous for Hannibal’s amour with a courtezan, Sipontum, Uria, the river Cerbalus, forming the boundary of the Daunii, the port of Agasus, and the Promontory of Mount Garganus, distant from the Promontory of Salentinum or Iapygia 234 miles. Making the circuit of Garganus, we come to the port of Garna, the Lake Pantanus, the river Frento, the mouth of which forms a harbour, Teanum of the Apuli, and Larinum, Cliternia, and the river Tifernus, at which the district of the Frentani begins. Thus there were three different nations of the Apulians, [the Daunii,] the Teani, so called from their leader, and who sprang from the Greeks, and the Lucani, who were subdued by Calchas, and whose country is now possessed by the Atinates. Besides those already mentioned, there are, of the Daunii, the colonies of Luceria and Venusia, the towns of Canusium and Arpi, formerly called Argos Hippium and founded by Diomedes, afterwards called Argyrippa. Here too Diomedes destroyed the nations of the Monadi and the Dardi, and the two cities of Apina and Trica, whose names have passed into a by-word and a proverb.

Besides the above, there is in the interior of the second region one colony of the Hirpini, Beneventum, so called by an exchange of a more auspicious name for its old one of Maleventum; also the Æculani, the Aquilonii, the Abellinates surnamed Protropi, the Compsani, the Caudini, the Ligures, both those called the Corneliani and Bebiani, the Vescellani, the Æclani, the Aletrini, the Abellinates surnamed Marsi, the Atrani, the Æcani, the Alfellani, the Atinates, the Arpani, the Borcani, the Collatini, the Corinenses, the Cannenses, rendered famous by the defeat of the Romans, the Dirini, the Forentani, the Genusini, the Herdonienses, the Hyrini, the Larinates surnamed Frentani, the Merinates of Garganus, the Mateolani, the Netini, the Rubustini, the Silvini, the Strapellini, the Turmentini, the Vibinates, the Venusini, and the Ulurtini. In the interior of Calabria there are the Ægetini, the Apamestini, the Argentini, the Butuntinenses, the Deciani, the Grumbestini, the Norbanenses, the Palionenses, the Sturnini, and the Tutini: there are also the following Salentine nations; the Aletini, the Basterbini, the Neretini, the Uxentini, and the Veretini.