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

fighting on several fronts, in Apulia, at Luceria and in the valley of the Liris. In 318, the
Volscian inhabitants of Satricum revolted and a substantial Roman army was sent out to
fight them. In 316 BC, the Campani and Aurunci began to rebel against Rome and a
Roman settlement, Ardea, was devastated by the Samnites. 689 Soon the Samnites
attacked Sora, resulting in the transfer of Roman legions from Samnium and Apulia to
this town. 690 Nola was already on the Samnite side. 691 It seems natural that Nuceria
chose to form an alliance with the Samnites, since the Samnite alliance seemed more
favourable under the circumstances than the Roman one. What is important to note,
though, is that when Diodorus says of b 'd v NovKEQIav Tjv
A? 4aTtpvav
xaAovµEvrly oixovvTES he seems to be referring to the inhabitants of one single town,
Nuceria. Perhaps Nuceria was specifically mentioned because the other nearby towns of
Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabiae and Surrentum were neutral or allied to Rome.
The next, often cited passage, is from Livy under 310 BC: 'At about this time a
Roman fleet, commanded by Publius Cornelius, whom the senate had placed in charge
of the coast, sailed for Campania and put into Pompeii. From there the sailors and
rowers set out to pillage the territory of Nuceria. Having quickly ravaged the nearest
fields, from which they might have returned in safety to their ships, they were lured on,
as often happens, by the love of booty, and going too far abroad aroused the enemy.
While they roamed through the fields, nobody interfered with them, though they might
have been utterly annihilated; but as they came trooping back, without a thought of
danger, the country-folk overtook them not far from the ships, stripped them of their
688
Senatore (2001) 220-2. Beloch (1890) 241.
689
Diod. Sic. 19.76.1.
690
Livy 9.23.1
691
Salmon (1985) 243.
198