COMPU´LTERIA
COMPU´LTERIA or
COMBU´LTERIA (Eth.
Compulterinus), a city of Samnium on the borders of Campania, situated on the right bank of the Vulturnus, between Calatia and Allifae. Livy mentions it among the cities of Samnium which had revolted to Hannibal, but were recovered by Fabius Maximus. (
Liv. 23.39,
24.20.) We learn from coins that its Oscan name was Cupelteria; the coins themselves have KVPELTERNVM, which is the genitive plural of the Ethnic name. (Friedländer,
Oskisch. Münz. p. 5.) Hence even in Latin inscriptions we find the various forms “Cubulteria, Cubulterini,Cupulterini,” and are thus enabled to recognise the “Cubulterini” of Pliny (whom he enumerates in the first region of Italy, probably because they were on the right bank of the Vulturnus) as the people of Compulteria, though Livy expressly assigns that city to Samnium, and not to Campania.
The exact site of the ancient city was first pointed out by Pellegrini, on a small hill in the territory of
Alvignano, to the left of the high road from
Caiazzo to
Alife, now occupied by the church of
S. Ferrante. The numerous inscriptions which have been discovered on this spot leave no doubt of the correctness of its determination. One of these mentions a temple of Juno, on the ruins of which it is probable that the church of
S. Ferrante has been erected. (Orell.
Inscr. 681, 2418; Muratori,
Inscr. p. 1040, nos. 1, 2; Romanelli, vol. ii. pp. 435--437; Pellegrini,
Discorsi della Campania, vol. i. p. 429; Iorio,
Dissertazione sul Sito di Combulteria, Napoli, 1834.) From others we learn that Compulteria must have been a flourishing municipal town at least as late as the reign of Hadrian; but we. have no account of its subsequent history.
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E.H.B]
