Cyme. Detailed history

The Greek city of Cyme (Cumae in Latin), in the Phlegraean Fields in southern Italy, was established as a colony by residents of the cities of Chalchis and Eretria, both on Euboea, and Pithecusae (Ischia), which was already a colony of Chalchiss and Eretria, on a nearby island. The name came from the city of Cyme (Kymi), on the island of Euboea where the leaders originated. Most of the inhabitants had moved from Pithekusai to the mainland due to its strategic and well-defended acropolis. Located on the Bay of Naples, about six miles north of Cape Misenum, the city became strong and prosperous in the Classical Age, disseminating Greek culture throughout southern Italy.

The region had been settled since the Bronze Age, and Mycenaean traders, among others, visited it. The Ancient author Strabo in his Geography referenced cave-dwelling inhabitants called Cimmerians in the Iron Age, but they probably were not related to those mentioned by the Assyrians. Rather, these individuals migrated to Italy during the great transfer of population at the end of the Bronze Age. According to Strabo, the city of Cyme was the first of all the Greek settlements in Italy. It was the Latins (and later the Romans) who began to call the Greeks by that name. When Rome encountered Cyme, they did not call its inhabitants as Hellenes or Eretria, or even Cyme, but as Graia. This was the term that the Latins called them, and they were then known as Graeci, a derivative of Graii, which became the standard way of referring to Greece.

The Greek colonists arrived about 750 from Euboea, as well as those already from Pithecusae led by Megasthenes of Chalcis and Hippolces of Cyme to establish the colony. The site was well chosen since it had a high and strong acropolis protected on one side by the sea and on the others by steep hills. Below the acropolis, with its strong walls, was the city proper, which was also walled; it controlled a rich and fertile land and possessed a good harbor.

The colonists drove off the few original inhabitants and exploited their strong position to make Cyme one of the chief cities in the Bay of Naples. Although the city did not have a harbor, boats could be pulled onto the beach below the citadel. Cyme’s culture was crucial for the west since the Chalkidian alphabet became the Greek alphabet of the region, ultimately leading to its modification and adaptation by the Etruscans and then by the Romans as Latin. The city became important for spreading Greek cults throughout the region and establishing other colonies, most notably at Zancle (modern Messina) in Sicily.

The city grew during the seventh and sixth centuries, and with their increase in power, the need for a harbor became evident. The Cymaeans then took over a harbor just inside the promontory, establishing a town called Dicaearchia, which became Puteoli; they then established a city farther east called Neapolis (modern Naples), meaning New (from nea) City (from polis). The Cymaeans became dominant in the Bay of Naples, with Misenum along the Campanian Coast. The original Cyme government was either oligarchic or aristocratic. It was a Greek outpost in a region controlled by the Opican, one of the major branches of the Italic tribes, with whom Cyme was successful in keeping the peace.

The growth in Cyme’s power soon caused the local tribes to join with the Etruscans to attack the city in 524. Under the leadership of Aristodemos, Cyme successfully beat back the offensive. Aristodemos allied himself with the Latins and Romans in 505 to defeat the Etruscans again at the Battle of Aricia. Here, Lars Porsena from Clusium sent a force to attack Aricia. Although the Clusian army was successful, the Cymaean troops allowed the Clusians to break through, only to fall upon them in the rear and win the battle.

Aristodemos, who was popular, now established himself as a tyrant. During his rule, he dispossessed many of the nobles, making them slaves, while freeing the existing slaves and giving them property. The last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, was exiled to Cyme after losing at the Battle of Lake Regillus in 496, and he died there the next year. In 479, Aristodemos was assassinated by the aristocrats whom he had exiled in 490.

In 474, the fleets from Cyme and Syracuse defeated the Etruscans and eliminated their power in Campania. The naval victory seems to have eliminated the land danger as well. Cyme, however, declined in power after Aristodemos. Local Oscan and Samnite tribes took the city in 428 after breaking down the walls and destroying the countryside, after which it ceased to be Greek.

In addition to its wealth and power, which influenced the west and allowed Greek culture to spread, Cyme was known as the home of the Sibyl, the ancient oracle. Although the word sibyl merely means “prophetess” and there were several throughout the ancient world, the Cyme Sibyl was perhaps the most famous due to its connection with the city of Rome and the Sibylline Books containing prophecies for Rome.

The story went that she was a beautiful virgin, and the god Apollo pursued her. Apollo said that he would grant the Sibyl a wish in exchange for her virginity, and she asked that she be allowed to live for as long as the number of grains of sand (1,000) were in a pile on the floor. She then denied Apollo his wish, and Apollo granted her wish where she indeed lived 1,000years, but she grew older—she had forgotten to ask for eternal youth.

As her body withered, it shrunk until it was so small it fit into a jar and only her voice was left behind. She was also famous for having nine books of prophecy, which she attempted to sell to Tarquinius Superbus. She offered them at a high price, and when he refused to pay it, she threw three of them into a fire. She then offered the remaining six for the same price. Again, he refused, so she threw three more into the fire. Finally, he paid the original sum for only three books, and these were brought back to Rome and consulted throughout the city’s history.

The site of the grotto of Sibyl was supposedly discovered in 1932. It is a trapezoidal gallery about 130 meters long and 2.5 meters wide and 5 meters high, cut into the rock under the Acropolis of Cyme. It overlooked the sea through six windows and had nine doorways. In the back were three cisterns, which had been converted from ceremonial baths, with the stone cutting dating from the fifth century. At the far end, on the south side, there was an adyton, or innermost sanctuary, where Aeneas received his oracle, and to the east was a chamber, apparently the Sibyl’s apartment, while to the west was another chamber that let in light and air.

Cyme also played an important role in cultural development—namely, helping to create the Latin alphabet. The city helped developed the script that the locals used, which the Romans then adopted. At the same time, the Etruscans independently received their alphabet from Cyme and passed it on to other tribes in northern Italy. As the outpost of Greek culture in central Italy, the city of Cyme introduced the Italians to the Greek Olympian gods and heroes.