ABSTRACT
Over the past few decades, scholars have come to agree on the complex, multifaceted nature of the “Romanization” of ancient Campania. Recent archaeological studies demonstrate that Campania is a complex and loosely defined entity, within which diverse political and cultural influences greatly affected how the region and its people were perceived and written about by ancient historians. This chapter focuses on a particular part of ancient Campania between Neapolis and Suessula, for which there is significant literary, historical, and archaeological evidence. While archaeology does not typically provide detailed evidence for documented historical events, it can contribute data that help us understand the effect of certain historical events on the material record, in this case urbanization and the management of agricultural land and resources in the countryside. The study area lies between the Volturno River (the ancient Volturnus) in the north and the Sarno (the ancient Sarnus) in the south. Particular attention is paid to the urban history of Suessula and the rural territory between modern Naples and Acerra. The focus is on the first phase of cultural change between the second half of the fourth and the third centuries BCE.
