Submitted for award of PhD September 2006. - King's College London

ejects most of the basic points of Beloch's thesis. This section examines the evidence
for the existence of the Nucerian League. While Senatore's article questions only the
basic points of Beloch's thesis, I place more emphasis on what ancient sources tell us
about the relation of towns in the region and the topics of leadership and public
institutions in the settlements. The chapter first deals with the relevant literary evidence,
which is divided into two sub-sections: the identity of the Alfaterni, and the political
history of the region. The chapter then discusses epigraphic and numismatic evidence
according to the place of provenance or relevance: first I concentrate on Pompeii, which
yields the largest amount of inscriptions in the region, then I proceed to study the
epigraphic evidence discovered at Herculaneum and Punta della Campanella, and I
finally look at the numismatic evidence for Nuceria Alfaterna and the supposed
confederation of Cirta.
6.2. Literary evidence
6.2.1. Who were the Alfaterni?
Beloch argued that a passage in Servius, the occurrence of several members of the gens
Sittia in the epigraphic evidence and the fact that the inhabitants of the region spoke the
same language, Oscan, all point to the common origins of the inhabitants of the
region. 665 Adhering to the lines of traditional historical writing of his time, he
665
Serv. ad Aen. 7.738: `Conon in eo libro, quern de Italia scripsit, quosdam Pelasgos aliosque ex
Peloponneso convenas ad eum locum Italiae venisse dicit, cui nullum antea nomen fuerit, et flumini quern
incolerent, Sarro nomen inposuisse ex appellatione patrii fluminis, et se Sarrastras appellasse. Hi inter
multa oppida Nuceriam condiderunt. '
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