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Avete,
I've read that Hannibal made Capua his 'capital' after it switched sides to the Carthaginian.
Does this fact suggest that Capua was the most prosperous or powerful city in Italy after Rome itself ?
Or were any of the Italian Greek cities more powerful than Capua during this period ? Tarentum ?
~Theo
Jaime
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Capua had originally been founded by the Etruscans and was later taken over by Samnites. By the second Punic War, it was the centre of the Campanian agriculture zone, and had a thriving Industry, especially of high quality bronze objects, and was a Trading base as well. The city was also well known for its wealth and luxury and could field an army of 30,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry, and twice that many with Campania's surrounding districts. It was certainly the second city of Italy, and was considered 'in the same league' as Rome, Carthage or Syracuse.....if perhaps the smallest.
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff