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Benevento occupies the site of the ancient Beneventum, originally Maleventum or more correct Maloeis (derived from the Greek word for apple malon. The theory that it meant "the site of bad wind" is no longer considered by historians today. Some older (and more speculative) authors also proposed it could mean "a place of crazy people", as in ancient times it was supposed that mad people had a sort of wind storm inside their head). It is supposed to have been founded in the imperial period by Diomedes.
The Arch of Trajan as it appeared in the 18th century, etching by Piranesi Some of the bas-reliefs are now in the British Museum. The site was the chief town of the Samnites, who took refuge here after their defeat by the Roman Republic in 314 BC. It appears not to have fallen into the hands of the latter until Pyrrhus's absence in Sicily, but served them as a base of operations in the last campaign against him in 275 BC.
A Latin colonyThis article refers to a colony in politics and history. For alternate meanings of colony see colony (disambiguation). In politics and in history, a colony is an administrative unit under the control of a geographically- distinct entity, usually an autono was planted there in 268 BCCenturies: 4th century BC 3rd century BC 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 273 BC 272 BC 271 BC 270 BC 269 BC 268 BC 267 BC 266 BC 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC Events The Chremonidean W, and it was then that the name was changed for the sake of superstition (male = bad, bene = good), and probably then that the Via Appia was extended from CapuaCapua (modern Santa Maria di Capua Vetere was the chief ancient city of Campania, and one of the most important towns of ancient Italy, situated 25 km (16 mi) north of Neapolis, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Capua's site, in a p to Beneventum. It remained in the hands of the Romans during both the Punic and the Social WarThe Social War (also called the Italian War was a war from 91 88 BC between the Romans and the other cities in Italy. In 90 BC almost all of the Italian allies of Rome rebelled in what the Romans called the Social War (allies in Latin being Socii relateds, and was a fortress of importance to them.
The position is strong, being protected by the two rivers mentioned, and the medieval fortifications, which are nearly 2 miles in length, probably follow the ancient line, which was razed to the ground by TotilaTotila was king of the Ostrogoths, chosen after the death of his uncle Ildibad in 541. His real name was Baduila which can be seen from the coinage issued by him. His life's work was the restoration of the Gothic kingdom in Italy and he entered upon the t.
After the Social War it became a municipiumA municipium was a class of Roman city which was inferior in status to a colonia''. Unlike the latter, its citizens were not full Roman citizens (but its magistrates could become so), but they partook of the duties of full citizens in terms of their liabi and under Augustus a colony.
Being a meeting point of six main roads, it was much visited by travellers. The Arch of Trajan erected A.D. 114 (illustration, right) is one of the best-preserved Roman structures in the Campagna. It repeats the formula of the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum, with reliefs of Trajan's life and exploits of his reign. Some of the sculptures are in the British Museum.