AUFIDE´NA
AUFIDE´NA (
Αὐφιδήνα, Ptol.: Eth.
Aufidenas, ātis:
Alfidena), a city of northern Samnium, situated in the upper valley of the Sagrus, or
Sangro. Ptolemy mentions it as the chief city of the Caraceni, the most northern tribe of the Samnites; and the Itineraries place it 24 miles from Sulmo, and 28 from Aesernia, but the latter number is certainly erroneous. (
Ptol. 3.1.66; Itin. Ant. p. 102.)
The remains of its massive ancient walls prove that it must have been a fortress of great strength; but the only notice of it in history is that of its conquest by the Roman consul Cn. Fulvius, who took it by storm in B.C. 298. (
Liv. 10.12.)
It seems to have suffered severely in common with the other Samnite cities from the ravages of Sulla, but received a military colony under Caesar (
Lib. Colon. p. 259; Zumpt,
de Coloniis, p. 307), and continued to exist under the empire as a municipal town of some consequence. (
Plin. Nat. 3.12. s. 17; Orell.
Inscr. 3776; Zumpt,
l.c.) The modern village of
Alfidena, as is often the case in Italy, though it has retained the name of Aufidena, does not occupy its original site; the ruins of the ancient city (consisting principally of portions of its walls of a very rude and massive character) are still visible on a hill on the left bank of the river
Sangro, about 5 miles above
Castel di Sangro. Numerous architectural fragments and other ancient relics of Roman date are also still found on the site. (Romanelli, vol. ii. pp. 486, 487; Craven's
Abruzzi, vol. ii. p. 59.)
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E.H.B]
