Guide to the Ancient Monuments of the Island of Capri
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GGUIDEUIDE TOTO THETHE AANCIENTNCIENT MMONUMENTSONUMENTS OFOF THETHE IISLANDSLAND OFOF CCAPRIAPRI AZIENDA AUTONOMA DI CURA, SOGGIORNO E TURISMO OF THE ISLAND OF CAPRI Index 2 History 6 Grotta delle Felci 7 Muro greco 7 Scala fenicia 8 Palazzo a Mare 10 Villa di Damecuta 12 Villa Jovis Villa Jovis. 15 Villa di Gradola - Grotta Azzurra 16 Grottoes and nymphaea 16 Grotta di Matermania 17 Grotta del Castiglione 17 Grotta dell’Arsenale 18 Detailed studies 19 Museums and libraries For up-to-date information on monument opening hours and itineraries, please contact Information Offices of Azienda Autonoma di Cura, Soggiorno e Turismo of the Island of Capri: Capri, piazza Umberto I - tel. +39 0818370686 Villa di Damecuta. Marina Grande, banchina del Porto - tel. +39 0818370634 Anacapri, via Giuseppe Orlandi - tel +39 0818371524 www.capritourism.com Guide produced by OEBALUS ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE ONLUS Via San Costanzo, 8 - Capri www.oebalus.org with the collaboration of SOPRINTENDENZA ARCHEOLOGICA DELLE PROVINCE DI NAPOLI E CASERTA Ufficio scavi Capri, via Certosa - Capri tel. +39 0818370381 Texts by EDUARDO FEDERICO (history) Grotta di Matermania. ROBERTA BELLI (archaeology) CLAUDIO GIARDINO (Grotta delle Felci) Photographs by MARCO AMITRANO UMBERTO D’ANIELLO (page 1) MIMMO JODICE (back cover) Co-ordination ELIO SICA Translations by QUADRIVIO Printed by Scala fenicia. SAMA Via Masullo I traversa, 10 - Quarto (NA) www.samacolors.com GUIDE TO THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS OF THE ISLAND OF CAPRI AZIENDA AUTONOMA DI CURA, SOGGIORNO E TURISMO OF THE ISLAND OF CAPRI History Although rather poorly document- independent island history. ed by ancient authors, the history The history of Capri between the of Capri involves many characters 4th millennium BC and the 8th cen- of notable importance. The island tury BC - from the Neolithic until was frequently despoiled and plun- the founding of the Greek colony Capri from Punta Campanella dered, however, so far no system- of Cumae (halfway through the 8th atic archaeological research has century BC) - shows that the island been carried out. was part of an extensive system of maritime communications. The Palaeolithic In fact, excavation of Grotta delle Evidence of human inhabitation of Felci has revealed imported the island of Capri dates back to ceramics and much use of a the Lower Palaeolithic (approxim- volcanic glass (obsidian) not Lithic industry from Quisisana. ately 400,000 years ago). In fact, naturally found on Capri (Capri is “Ignazio Cerio” Museum. excavation of the area near the not a volcanic island) - proof that a Hotel Quisisana in 1905 unearthed network of connections with the articles made in stone and the Pontine archipelago and the Eolie remains of continental fauna Islands existed as far back as the 4th (including elephas antiquus) - proof millennium BC. that Capri was once joined to the It is difficult to establish the living mainland Sorrento peninsula. conditions of the indigenous in- habitants of the island prior to the Remains of a bear (Ursus spelaeus). From the Neolithic to the arri- founding of the Greek colony of “Ignazio Cerio” Museum. val of the Greeks Cumae as no archaeological find- Situated approximately 5 kilo- ings indicating the role of the metres off Punta Campanella in a Italic community before and after strategic position at the southern the arrival of the Greeks have yet entrance to the Gulf of Naples, been discovered. Capri broke away from the main- land to become an island approx- The name “Capri” imately 10,000 years ago. The name of the island derives Mammoth tooth (Mammuthus chosaricus). Since then conditions have led to from the name of its oldest Italic “Ignazio Cerio” Museum. the development of a completely inhabitants - known to the Greeks 2 as Kaprie and Kapréai and to the The island was certainly occupied Romans as Capreae. Linguistic in the 7th century BC by the analysis refutes the Greek origin of Greeks of Cumae and used as a sta- the place name and considers the tion from which to control the name “Capri” to derive from the traffic of the Gulf of Naples. The language of the ancient Italic island of Ischia and Punta populations who settled in the area Campanella were also occupied and of the Gulf of Naples. The name the same period also saw the Detail of the Greek Wall. makes reference to the goats (capre) founding of settlements such as which formed a characteristic Partenope and Pozzuoli. aspect of the island landscape while Becoming part of the colony of the identifying an important feature of Greeks of Cumae in the 7th century the economy of the non-Greek BC, Capri gradually saw Greek community - goat farming, one of communities settle alongside the the few possible means of susten- indigenous population, although ance in an area with no space for the island continued to be known crop cultivation and frequent water by its Italic name. shortages. The historian Strabo mentions the existence of two ancient cities Pre-Roman Capri which eventually become one Part of a network of systematic single conglomerate. Funeral inscription in Greek. maritime contacts since the The role and the function of the Capri, Soprintendenza Archeologica. Neolithic, the island of Capri was Greek community of Capri was surely known to the commercial reflected in a story by Virgil traffic (Greek, Aegean and according to which the island was Oriental) which preceded and inhabited by the Teleboans, a accompanied the founding and mythological population of Greek confirmation of the Greek colony pirates. The use of pirate fleets to of Cumae. However, although control maritime movements archaeological documentation encouraged the hypothesis that the sheds much light on these pre- specific function of the Greeks on colonial traffic flows with regard to the island of Capri was to control the island of Ischia, little or maritime traffic in the Gulf on nothing is known about the island behalf of the city of Cumae. Fragment of terracotta head (3rd - 1st century BC). of Capri. As from the 5th century BC, the “Ignazio Cerio” Museum. 3 Greeks of Cumae left the island the villas of Capri with the bones and Capri came under the juris- of prehistoric animals and articles diction of the Greek city of from ancient times - items prob- Neapolis - the future Naples. ably found on Capri, given the importance of the island during Augustus and Capri prehistoric times, during the Bronze coin with the head of Augustus from Part of the territory of Neapolis, considerable building activity of Villa di Gasto (22-30 AD). Capri was a political dependent of the Emperor himself. Capri, Soprintendenza Archeologica. the city until the arrival of As the private property of the Octavian - the future Emperor imperial family, the island’s social Augustus. and economic fabric underwent Strabo recounts that in the years considerable change. In fact, following the battle of Actium (31 ancient inscriptions show the pres- BC), Octavian was so enchanted ence of both emancipated slaves with Capri that he gave the and statesmen following the Neapolitans the island of Ischia in Emperor. exchange for his favourite island, However these social and economic making this latter his private changes were not accompanied by property and beginning large-scale any transformation of the cultural building work. profile. In fact, many inscriptions However, although the island of show that the Greek language con- Altar dedicated to Cerere belonging to Hotel Capri remained the Emperor’s tinued to be used up until the 4th Palatium. Capri, Soprintendenza favourite destination until his century AD. Archeologica. death in 14 AD, it never became his home. Tiberius on Capri History records the close relation- Unlike Augustus, Tiberius made ship between Augustus and the the island of Capri his stable home island, its inhabitants and its tradi- for the whole decade between 27 tions. In fact, Suetonius tells of the AD and 37 AD - the year of his Emperor’s habit of participating in death at Misenus. parties organized by the island’s The story of Tiberius’ cruelty and youth and promoting an institu- turpitude on Capri - a story which tion - the ephebia - of clearly Greek has had much success in stimulat- Portrait of Livia the mother of Tiberius. “Ignazio Cerio” Museum. origin. Suetonius also confirms ing the imagination of tourists ever Augustus’ interest in decorating since from the 19th century - was 4 considerably influenced by his considered by Suetonius as places opponents (particularly the for the outlet of Tiberian lust). Senatorial aristocracy) who showed their disapproval of his choice to Capri after Tiberius retire to Capri by inventing episodes With the death of Tiberius (37 of cruelty and licentiousness and AD), the ancient historians lost exaggerating and altering news interest in Capri, even though the from Capri to provide a real and island continued to be home to Lantern disc with ship from Villa di Gasto proper “noir”. Tiberius’ choice to imposing aristocratic villas for the (1st century AD). Capri, Soprintendenza Archeologica. retire to the island obviously whole of the 1st century AD. coincided with a new policy As from the beginning of the 2nd according to which he was granted century AD, news of the island absolute power, cooperation with became rare with the only event of the Senate was terminated and major importance being the exile Capri was raised to the position of to Capri of the wife and sister capital of the empire. The historian (Crispina and Lucilla, respectively) Fragment of lantern disc with erotic scene from Tacitus - one of Tiberius’ many of Emperor Commodus in 182 Villa di Gasto (1st century AD). Capri, opponents - considered the AD. Soprintendenza Archeologica. Emperor’s retirement to Capri as The 3rd century AD was a dark an opportunity to pursue vices period for Capri, characterized by a cunningly hidden in Rome.