Ausones
Encyclopedia
The Ausones were an ancient Italic
tribe settled in the southern part of Italy
. Often confused with the Aurunci
, they share with them only a probably common origin.
, The King of the Ausones was Auson, son of Ulysses
and Circe
(or Calypso
). The son of Auson was Liparus, whence the Lipari Islands name.
Only fragmentary news exist about historical Ausones.
The first Greek
settlers found Italy inhabited by three major populations: Ausones, Enotri
and Iapyges
. The Ausones spoke an Indo-European
language and were probably present in Italy at least from the 17th century BC
.
are occupied by a group of Ausones led there by the legendary Liparus. According a legend Liparus is succeeded by Aeolus
whose house, according to Homer
, gave hospitality to Ulysses
. This continuous occupation may have been interrupted violently when in the late 9th century BC the Ausonian civilisation site, Lipara, on the island of Lipari
was burned and apparently not rebuilt. Around 1270 BC part of the Ausones moved from Campania
to Sicily
.
The excavations on Lipari have revealed an assemblage which shares many features with those of contemporary Southern Italy (in its Subapennine-Protovillanovan phases). This insular culture has been named as Ausonian I (1250/1200-1150 BC) and II (1150-850 BC) and associated with the Pantalica I and II (Cassibile
) phases in Sicily.
it included what is now southern Lazio and Campania
until the Sele river.
According to different classical sources the Ausones were also settled in Calabria
.
The Ausones entered in contact with the Romans
, allying against them with the Samnites. The main Ausonian cities of Ausona, Minturnae
, Vescia
and Sinuessa
, according to Livy
(Ab urbe condita, IX, 25), were destroyed.
, in the commune of Calvi Risorta
(province of Caserta
, Campania
), of which remains has been found, has been identified as an Ausonian city.
In the park of Roccamonfina
remains of a polygonal line of walls belonging to the Ausonian civilization have been discovered.
Ancient Italic peoples
Ancient people of Italy are all those people that lived in Italy before the Roman domination.Not all of these various people are linguistically or ethnically closely related...
tribe settled in the southern part of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Often confused with the Aurunci
Aurunci
The Aurunci were an Italic population which lived in southern Italy from around the 1st millennium BC. Of Indo-European origin, their language belonged to the Oscan group...
, they share with them only a probably common origin.
History
According to a legend told by Diodorus SiculusDiodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...
, The King of the Ausones was Auson, son of Ulysses
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
and Circe
Circe
In Greek mythology, Circe is a minor goddess of magic , described in Homer's Odyssey as "The loveliest of all immortals", living on the island of Aeaea, famous for her part in the adventures of Odysseus.By most accounts, Circe was the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun, and Perse, an Oceanid...
(or Calypso
Calypso (mythology)
Calypso was a nymph in Greek mythology, who lived on the island of Ogygia, where she detained Odysseus for a number of years. She is generally said to be the daughter of the Titan Atlas....
). The son of Auson was Liparus, whence the Lipari Islands name.
Only fragmentary news exist about historical Ausones.
The first Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
settlers found Italy inhabited by three major populations: Ausones, Enotri
Oenotrians
The Oenotrians were an ancient Italic people of unknown origin who inhabited a territory from Paestum to southern Calabria in southern Italy...
and Iapyges
Iapyges
The Iapyges or Iapygians were an Indo-European people who inhabited the heel of Italy before being absorbed by the Romans.-Identity:The Iapyges have unknown origins but could have been from Illyria....
. The Ausones spoke an Indo-European
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
language and were probably present in Italy at least from the 17th century BC
17th century BC
The 17th century BC is a century which lasted from 1700 BC to 1601 BC.-Events:*c. 1700 BC: Indus Valley Civilization comes to an end but is continued by the Cemetery H culture*1700 BC: Belu-bani became the King of Assyria....
.
Ausones in the Aeolian Islands and Sicily
From 1240 to 850 BC the Aeolian IslandsAeolian Islands
The Aeolian Islands or Lipari Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus. The locals residing on the islands are known as Eolians . The Aeolian Islands are a popular tourist destination in the summer, and attract up to...
are occupied by a group of Ausones led there by the legendary Liparus. According a legend Liparus is succeeded by Aeolus
Aeolus
Aeolus was the ruler of the winds in Greek mythology. In fact this name was shared by three mythic characters. These three personages are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which Aeolus was which...
whose house, according to Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, gave hospitality to Ulysses
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
. This continuous occupation may have been interrupted violently when in the late 9th century BC the Ausonian civilisation site, Lipara, on the island of Lipari
Lipari
Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of Sicily, and the name of the island's main town. It has a permanent population of 11,231; during the May–September tourist season, its population may reach up to 20,000....
was burned and apparently not rebuilt. Around 1270 BC part of the Ausones moved from Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
The excavations on Lipari have revealed an assemblage which shares many features with those of contemporary Southern Italy (in its Subapennine-Protovillanovan phases). This insular culture has been named as Ausonian I (1250/1200-1150 BC) and II (1150-850 BC) and associated with the Pantalica I and II (Cassibile
Cassibile (village)
Cassibile is an Italian village and civil parish of the city and municipality of Syracuse , in Sicily. As of 2006 its population was of 5,800.-History:...
) phases in Sicily.
Continental Ausones
The core of the Ausonian people lived in a territory called Ausonia (sometimes used for extension to denote the whole Italy): in the 8th century BC8th century BC
The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.-Overview:The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty...
it included what is now southern Lazio and Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
until the Sele river.
According to different classical sources the Ausones were also settled in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
.
The Ausones entered in contact with the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, allying against them with the Samnites. The main Ausonian cities of Ausona, Minturnae
Minturno
Minturno is a city and comune in the southern Lazio, Italy, situated on the north west bank of the Liris , with a suburb on the opposite bank c...
, Vescia
Vescia
Vescia was an ancient Latin city of the Ausones, which was part of the so-called Auruncan Pentapolis and was destroyed by the Romans in 340 BC....
and Sinuessa
Sessa Aurunca
Sessa Aurunca is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta. It located on the south west slope of the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina, 40 km by rail west north west of Caserta and 30 km east of Formia....
, according to Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
(Ab urbe condita, IX, 25), were destroyed.
Archaeological findings
CalesCales
Cales was an ancient city of Campania, in today's comune of Calvi Risorta in southern Italy, belonging originally to the Aurunci/Ausoni, on the Via Latina.The Romans captured it in 335 BC and established a colony with Latin rights of 2,500 citizens...
, in the commune of Calvi Risorta
Calvi Risorta
Calvi Risorta is a comune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located across the Via Casilina about 40 km northwest of Naples and about 25 km northwest of Caserta....
(province of Caserta
Province of Caserta
The Province of Caserta is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta. The former royal palace of Caserta is located near to the city.It has an area of 2,639 km², and a total population of 879,342...
, Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
), of which remains has been found, has been identified as an Ausonian city.
In the park of Roccamonfina
Roccamonfina
Roccamonfina is a comune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about 60 km northwest of Naples and about 40 km northwest of Caserta....
remains of a polygonal line of walls belonging to the Ausonian civilization have been discovered.