Information AboutMisenum |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MISENUM | |
| roman sites of campania | |
| eruption of vesuvius, ad79 | |
|
According to mythology, Misenum was named after Misenus , a companion of Hector and trumpeter to Aeneas . Misenus is supposed to have drowned near here after a Trumpet competition with the sea-god Triton , as recounted in Virgil 's Aeneid . In 38 BC , Misenum was the site where a short-lived pact was made between Octavian (heir of Julius Caesar , who later became the emperor Augustus), and his rival Sextus Pompeius . In ancient times, Misenum was the largest base, Portus Julius , of the Roman Navy , since it was the base of the ''Classis Misenensis'', the most important Roman fleet. It was first established as a naval base in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa , the right-hand man of the Emperor Augustus . With its gorgeous natural setting close to the naval base and the nearby important Roman cities of Puteoli and Neapolis , Misenum became the site of Roman luxury Villas . Pliny The Elder was the '' Praefect '' in charge of the naval fleet at Misenum in AD 79 , at the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius , visible to the south across the Bay of Naples. Seeing the beginnings of the eruption, Pliny left for a closer view and to effect a possible rescue, and was killed by the eruption. The account of his death is given by his nephew Pliny The Younger , who was also resident in Misenum at the time. Misenum is portrayed in Robert Harris ' novel, Pompeii as the location of the Piscina Mirabilis (the terminal reservoir into which the Aqua Augusta aqueduct emptied) where the protagonist, Attillius, worked as an Aquarius. |
|
|