1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Ariano di Puglia

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
14533611911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 2 — Ariano di Puglia

ARIANO DI PUGLIA, a town and episcopal see, which, despite its name, now belongs to Campania, Italy, in the province of Avellino, 1509 ft. above sea-level, on the railway between Benevento and Foggia, 24 m. E. of the former by rail. Pop. (1901) town, 8384; commune, 17,653. It lies in the centre of a fertile district, but has no buildings of importance, as it has often been devastated by earthquakes. A considerable part of the population still dwells in caves. It has been supposed to occupy the site of Aequum Tuticum, an ancient Samnite town, which became a post-station on the Via Traiana[1] in Roman times; but this should probably be sought at S. Eleuterio 51/2 m. north. It was a military position of some importance in the middle ages. Thirteen miles south-south-east is the Sorgente Mefita, identical with the pools of Ampsanctus (q.v.).  (T. As.) 


  1. This has generally been supposed to be the place referred to by Horace (Sat. i. 5. 87), as one which the metre would not allow him to mention by name; but H. Nissen (Halische Landeskunde, Berlin, 1902, ii. 845) proposes Ausculum instead.