Ausones

The Ausones (Ancient Greek: Αὔσονες; Italian: Ausoni) were an ancient Italic tribe settled in the southern part of Italy. Often confused with the Aurunci,[1] they share with them only a probably common origin.

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History

According to a legend told by Diodorus Siculus, 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.

Ausones in the Aeolian Islands and Sicily

From 1240 to 850 BC the Aeolian Islands are occupied by a group of Ausones led there by the legendary Liparus.[2] 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.[3]

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 BC 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.[4]

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.

Archaeological findings

Cales, 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.

Footnotes

  1. ^ 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, wrongly identified the term "Ausoni" with the way Aurunci called themselves.
  2. ^ Diodorus Siculus V,7.
  3. ^ Luigi Bernabò Brea
  4. ^ In the territory of Reggio Calabria according to Diodorus Siculus, as also in Temesa (Strabo VI, 255) and Tauriano (Cato, Origines III). The Pelleni a tribe settled in the inland of Crotone is also claimed as Ausonian (Lycophron, Alexandra ,vv.910-929).

Bibliography

See also