Geography

​In the interior, Capua is the metropolis, in truth the “head” according to the etymology of its name; for the other small towns would be considered as such only in comparison with it, except Teanum Sidicinum, for this also is noteworthy. Situated on the Appian Way are Capua itself and, of the other towns, those which lead from it to Brentesium, namely Calatia, Caudium, and Beneventum. In the direction of Rome, Casilinum is situated on the river Volturnus, where five hundred and forty men of the Praenestines, when besieged, held out so long against Hannibal at the height of his power, that under the pressure of famine a mouse was sold for two hundred drachmae, and the seller died of hunger, while the buyer was saved. And Hannibal, it seems, was amazed at their endurance when he saw them sowing turnips near the wall, wondering if they hoped to hold out until the turnips should bear fruit; indeed, they say that all survived except a few men who either perished of hunger or in the battles.

​In addition to those mentioned, these too are Campanian cities which we have mentioned before, namely Cales and Teanum Sidicinum, which are separated by the two statues of Fortune established on either side of the Latina Way, and also Suessula, Atella, Nola, Nuceria, Acerrae, Abella, and other still smaller settlements than these, some of which they say are Samnite. The Samnites, who formerly made incursions even as far as the part of Latium around Ardea, and after that laid waste Campania itself, possessed great power; for in general, having learned to be ruled in an autocratic manner, they quickly obeyed commands. But now they have been completely worn out by others and finally by Sulla, who became the sole ruler of the Romans; who, when he had put down the uprising of the Italiots in many battles, and saw that these people almost alone remained together and were making a similar onset, so as even to march against Rome itself, confronted them before the wall, and cut them down in the battle, ordering his men to make no prisoners; and those who threw down their arms, about three thousand or four thousand men, they say, he brought down to the public villa in the Campus and imprisoned them; and three days later, having sent in soldiers, he slaughtered them all, and he did not cease making proscriptions until he had destroyed all who bore the name of Samnites or had cast them out of Italy; and to those who blamed him for such great anger, he said that he had learned from experience that not a single Roman could ever enjoy peace as long as the Samnites remained together by themselves. Therefore, indeed, their cities have now become villages, and some have completely disappeared, namely Bovianum, Aesernia, Panna, Telesia continuous with Venafrum, and other such places, none of which is worthy to be deemed a city; but we shall go over them within moderate limits because of the fame and power of Italy. Beneventum, however, and Venusia still hold together well.