Misenum
Misenum is a historic promontory located in southwestern Italy, specifically in the Campania region, and it forms the northwestern edge of the Gulf of Cumae, also known as the Bay of Naples. It was established as the largest Roman naval base by Marcus Agrippa and became significant during the reign of Augustus. Misenum is steeped in mythology, with stories linking its name to the Trojan hero Misenus, as well as references from ancient texts suggesting connections to the mythical Laestrygones from the Odyssey.
The area was historically important due to its two harbors—inner and outer—used for naval operations and ship repairs. Notable figures, including Pliny the Elder, lived in Misenum, and its luxurious villas, like the famous Villa of Lucullus, were known for their artistic treasures and scenic gardens. The port's importance waned after the ancient period, but remnants of its rich history, including a theater and a temple complex, can still be found today. Misenum's cultural and historical significance makes it a point of interest for those exploring ancient Roman naval power and mythology.
Subject Terms
Misenum
(Miseno)
A lofty promontory in southwestern Italy (Campania), comprising three volcanic craters and forming the northwestern extremity of the Gulf of Cumae (Bay of Naples). According to Virgil, the locality was named after the Trojan Misenus, the trumpeter of Aeneas. The man had aroused the jealousy of the sea-god Triton, and when the Trojans landed near Cumae, he was dragged into the waves and drowned, whereupon Aeneas buried him on the promontory—a story that may originate from its shape, which does somewhat resemble that of a tumulus. Strabo also reported a story that the mythical Laestrygones of the Odyssey dwelt at Misenum.
A pair of harbors behind the cape—inner and outer, to the west and east respectively—was utilized for centuries by the Greek city-state of Cumae, situated just beyond the Gulf. Hannibal ravaged the port in 214 when Cumae opposed him. In the later Republic, however, Misenum was a center of numerous magnificent villas, notably the residence of Marius which was purchased by the luxurious Lucius Licinius Lucullus for a very large price, adorned with artistic treasures and famous gardens and equipped with fish ponds (for another villa of Lucullus, seeNeapolis). The `Treaty of Misenum’ between Octavian (the future Augustus) and Antony and Sextus Pompeius in 39 is a misnomer, because the meeting took place further along the Gulf, at Puteoli (Pozzuoli), However, the town harbors of Misenum achieved major and lasting importance early in the reign of Augustus when they became a principal naval base of the reorganized Roman fleet (Ravenna occupying a similar role in eastern Italy). The required conversion of the port, accompanied by the construction of new breakwaters and of a fresh-water reservoir of unparalleled size (the Piscina Mirabilis), was undertaken by Augustus' admiral Marcus Agrippa (in conjunction with the Portus Julius which he had earlier created out of the neighboring lakes Avernus and Lucrinus). The outer harbor of Misenum served the active vessels of the Roman navy and provided room for training exercises, while its inner counterpart (to which it was linked by a canal crossed by a wooden bridge, recorded by inscriptions) was designed for the reserve fleet and for repairs, and offered refuge from storms.
The Villa of Lucullus later passed into imperial hands, and Tiberius died there in AD 37. Meanwhile a town had grown up beside the port and villas of Misenum; it was elevated to the rank of a Roman colony, probably in the reign of Claudius (41–54), which also witnessed an enhancement of the status of the prefects of the local fleet (subsequently known as the Classis Praetoria Misenenesis). One of these officers was Pliny the Elder, who set out across the bay from his residence there to witness the eruption of Vesuvius (79), and perished. The port long maintained its naval character, although it fell into disuse toward the end of the ancient epoch.
The locations of the ancient buildings at Misenum are hard to identify owing to subsequent quarrying; in particular, this has made it impossible to find the Villa of Lucullus although we know that it stood on the promontory itself, among scented gardens known as the `Elysian Fields.’ However, traces of ancient buildings in the whole area are very extensive. Remains of a theater show a passage cut through the hill for easy access from the port, and a recently discovered group of buildings dedicated to the imperial cult includes a tripartite Temple of Augustus in which statues of emperors and deities have been found.