Capua

Capua, a fortified city of Italy, beautifully situated in a rich plain, on the left bank of the Volturino, 27 miles N. of Naples by rail. It has a fine cathedral, with a crypt and twenty-four ancient Corinthian columns from ancient Casilinum, upon whose site Capua was built in the 9th century; an antiquarian museum (1874); and a tower commemorating the sanguinary storming of the city by Cæsar Borgia in 1501. Population, 11,291.—The ancient Capua, which for wealth and population ranked second only to Rome and Carthage, was situated $3\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ miles SE. of the present city, its site being occupied by the modern town of Santa Maria di Capua Vetere. It was founded by the Etruscans under the name of Volturnum, and was the chief of their twelve cities in this part of Italy. Its present name was derived from the Samnites, who captured it in 423 B.C. After the battle of Cannæ, 216 B.C., the popular party opened the gates to Hannibal, whose army was greatly enervated by its luxurious winter-quarters here. The Romans obtained possession of the city in 211 B.C. In the 5th century A.D. Capua was devastated by the Vandals under Genserich. It recovered its prosperity again to some extent, but it was totally destroyed by the Saracens in 840. The citizens, who had fled to the mountains, were induced by their bishop to return some sixteen years later, and found the modern Capua. From the existing remains of the walls and fortifications of ancient Capua, it has been estimated that it had a circumference of 5 or 6 miles. It had seven gates. Among the Roman antiquities, one of the most remarkable is the amphitheatre, built of bricks, and faced with white marble. Well-preserved arches, corridors, and seats for spectators still remain. Measuring 557 by 459 feet, and 150 feet high, it could hold 60,000 spectators, and must have been one of the most magnificent buildings of the kind in Italy.