Today I am talking to Mariu Caputi, who lives in the south of Italy in Campi Flegrei or the Phlegraean Fields and has written a fabulous book called “Apion’s Journey: A Mission for Hadrians’s Empire”. Mariu is the director of the company “La Terre dei Miti “- the land of the Myths” that conducts tours around this ancient and historical area, which was once the seaside playground and summer holiday villas of the Roman Emperors and Generals. https://laterradeimiti.it Copy this html of Mariu’s website below to view an area so full of natural beauty, you can see all the beautiful spots, mentioned in the book. If you love Roman Ancient History, like me – you will be excited to hear this.
- Can you give a brief outline of the theme of your book.
The idea for this novel came about when I happened across two papyri found at the end of the Nineteenth century in the Oasis of Fayyum, in Egypt. These were two letters written by a sailor named Apion, who enrolled in the second century AD in the Roman Imperial Fleet stationed at Misenum in Campi Flegrei. In the first letter, addressed to his father, Apion describes his dangerous journey across the sea and his enrolment; in the second, he lets his sister know that he is married and has three children.
Following this research, I began writing the novel, all at once, with the aim to describe Campi Flegrei area through the eyes of a young Egyptian who really lived in the places that today are extremely important archaeological sites. The novel also bring together Apion’s personal story with the wider history of the period and the regions he lived in, namely the rise of Emperor Hadrian, and the so-called Conspiracy of the Four Consuls. One of these was Publilius Celsus, who was really murdered in Baiae.
During his stay on the Phlegraean coast, Apion has also the opportunity to discover and admire the area, with Misenum and the fleet’s homeport, Pozzuoli and the public buildings, such as the Flavian Amphitheatre, along with the Baths of Baiae, and, naturally, Cumae, the first Greek colony in the west. He also meets a veteran of the fleet that had participated in the rescue mission ordered by Pliny the Elder after the eruption of Vesuvius. The narration is enriched by landscapes and archaeological sites, mythology and descriptions of works of art, without ever becoming too overburdened by these.
- Apion was a real person in history. You obviously love history and especially the Roman history of Campi Flegrei. did you study history at school or university?
The history of Rome that I studied in high school is only a vague memory. In college I studied Roman architecture but without delving into the part about the society of Republican and Imperial Rome. I became passionate about the Roman world when I decided to found La Terra dei Miti, The Land of Myths. I could not promote knowledge of this magnificent area without knowing it in all its aspects, the geological, historical-archaeological and mythological. So I practically started studying all over again to have a solid knowledge base that I continue to implement every day.
- Why did the Roman emperors love Campi Flegrei
Because it was an area where the beauty of the landscape and the mild climate was enriched by the presence of numerous hot springs generated by its volcanic nature. And we know that the Romans were very fond of spending hours in the thermal springs to care for their body.
- Can you tell us about some of the amazing Roman sites in Campi Flegrei that are described in your novel.
Speaking of natural hot springs, a very well-preserved archaeological site is precisely the Roman Baths of Baia. Here Roman architects and engineers experimented with very daring building techniques that they later applied in the construction of important facilities in other cities of the Empire. In particular at Baia there is a thermal hall, known as the Temple of Mercury, whose domed roof anticipates by a century, the roof of the Pantheon in Rome.
Then there is the archaeological site of Cuma, the most fascinating of the Phlegraean Fields. Founded in about 750 B.C. by settlers from the island of Euboea, it was the city that introduced those signs that were to become our alphabet and from which to spread Greek culture in the West. Ancient literary sources link its foundation to the cult of Apollo, to whom the oracle of the famous prophetess a Sibilla Cumana was linked.
In Pozzuoli we find the Macellum, the most interesting example of an ancient Roman-era food market, both for its historical-archaeological value and for its interweaving with other disciplines, including geology, literature, art, and thermal medicine. The monument is more commonly known as the Temple of Serapis because of the discovery of the god’s statue during the 1750s Bourbon excavations that brought it to light. The sculpture, now on display at the MANN, initially caused the site to be identified as a Temple dedicated to the Egyptian deity and reveals the trade relations the city had with Egypt, especially in relation to the grain reserves that supplied Rome. Pozzuoli, in fact, represented Rome’s commercial port for centuries.
In Pozzuoli we find also the Flavian Amphitheatre, which is considered the third largest Roman-era amphitheatre in Italy after the Colosseum and that of Capua. Its three tiers of floors allowed up to 40,000 spectators to watch the fights between gladiators and ferocious beasts that took place in the arena. The basement of the amphitheatre is perfectly preserved and encourages visitors to understand how the complex system of lifting the cages, that carried the beasts onto the arena worked.
The Baia Submerged Park is a unique archaeological site, in terms of the extent of the remains of ancient structures, villas and baths that sank below sea level as a result of the phenomenon of bradyseism starting in the 4th century AD.
You can see these amazing remains of the Roman villas under the sea by a tour in glass-bottomed boats, scuba diving, snorkelling and canoe tours.
- You are teaching the young school children about this history. Why are you doing that?
Because the younger generations need to have a greater awareness of the value of their land in order to care for and defend it. Raising awareness of the beauty of the historical and cultural heritage, is a first step toward civic education and can also envision scenarios for economic development.
- How can people reach you to also be able to do some of the tours that you do.
They can visit our website https://laterradeimiti.it and then send an e-mail for group private tour. We design our itineraries with the goal of making the discovery of the Phlegraean Fields – Campi Flegrei, Campania an unforgettable experience.
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