Excavation of Cumae, history & many pics

Where are located the excavation of cumae in italy?

The archaeological park of Cuma is located on the region Campania coast, north-west of the city of Naples, facing the island of Ischia.
Street address: Via Monte di Cuma, 1 – 80078 Pozzuoli (NA)

What are the Archaeological excavations opening times?

Open: 09.00
Close: 1 hour before sunset.
Closed on Tuesday

How to reach the excavations of Cumae

by car

please open Google Maps to reach the excavation of Cumae

by public transport

In Montesanto Cumana Station take the train to Torregaveta and get off at Fusaro station. From here go to via Vanvitelli, the road in front of the park of the Casina Vanitelliana, the bourbon hunting cottage (2 minutes walking). So with the little house behind you, the stop is on the left side, near the Illiano tabacco store, where you can also buy BUS tickets. Here you can take the Archeobus Flegreo or the Miseno-Pozzuoli Scavi Cuma bus. Please ask to the driver how to arrive at the archaeological excavations of Cumae, maybe some bus lines could be change.

How much does the excavation of Cumae ticket cost?

TICKET: € 5  

REDUCED TICKET: € 2 (citizens of the European Union between 18 and 25 years old)

CIRCUITO FLEGREO TICKET: € 10

CIRCUITO FLEGREO REDUCED TICKET: € 5 (citizens of the European Union between 18 and 25 years old)
Free for everyone under the age of 18 

Reservation CLICK HERE

The Circuito Flegreo ticket is valid 2 days and allows you to visit:  

• the ancient Roman baths of Baiae 
  
  
• the Aragonese castle of Baiae and the archaeological museum of the Phlegraean Fields 
  
  
• the Flavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli
  
  
• the archaeological excavations of Cumae 

tel: +39 081 804 04 30

The cave of the Cumaean Sibyl: the legend

The legend tells de story of Apollo (Greek deity of sun) who was greatly in love with Sybil, a young virgin.
He wanted the young woman became his priestess, and in exchange he promised to give her everything she asked. So she filed for the immortality without the eternal youth and that was a huge mistake because over the years she became older and older, weak, until she vanished and just the voice remained of her.

How Sybil predicted the future?

Sybil listened attentively the requests from the people. Then She wrote the answers on some leaves that was mixed by the wind created by Apollo. So Sybil had to interpreted the future taking the leaves in a random order. The people did not always appreciate the response, because it was the word on air (in English means fallen on deaf ears).

The Byzantine tower of Cumae and the view of the islands.

After passing the cave of the Sibyl, turn left and climb the stairs, here one finds the Byzantine tower and the terrace with a breathtaking view overlooking the islands of Ischia and Procida.

The lower terrace and the temple of Apollo

After the terrace on the coast and walking for about one hundred meters on the right there is the lower terrace where one finds the remains of the temple of Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. From here there is a spectacular panorama and it's possible to admire part of the coast and the entire internal area, including the forum of the ancient city of Cumae, located in the lower side of the city.
Around the 4th century AD /CE, the city of Cumae became one of the most important Christian centers and the temple of Apollo was transformed into a church.

The temple of Jupiter of Cumae

In front of the lower terrace you can see the sacred way, a trail of stones, walk all along it and you will arrive on the upper terrace, where one finds the ruins of the temple of Jupiter, the king of the Greek gods. But after recent studies it is thought that this was the temple of Apollo.

In this area the baptismal font and 80 paleochristian tombs have been brought to light, dating back to the period when Cumae became one of the most important centers of Christianity. In fact, the temple, at that time, was transformed into a real Christian basilica.

The forum of Cumae, the ruins in the lower part of the city

The Roman forum is the heart of the ancient city where commercial, political, religious and administrative activities were carried out.
At the entrance to the forum we immediately find a rectangular square with the remains of porticos in gray tuff and white stucco on all its sides. These constructions date back to various periods of the 1st century. B.C. / B.C.E. as can be seen from the remains found.

The Capitolium of the excavations of Cuma

In the square of the forum of Cuma one finds the remains of the capitolium, also called the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, a sacred place dedicated to the Capitoline triad: Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.
In this temple the three large busts of the triad were found and it is believed that one of them, the statue of Jupiter, also called the giant of Cumae, is the same that was lacated in Plebiscito square during the aragonase time (1600 AD / CE). The statue of the giant, now exhibited in the gardens of the National Archaeological museum of Naples.

Archaeological Park of Cuma and the baths of ancient Rome.

In the excavations of Cuma, thermal buildings were also brought to light. This relax area was not a natural spas with sulphurous water that came out from the subsoil, as the rest of the Phlegreans Field, here the heat was powered by a wood oven and the heated water was channeled under the pavement and heated all the rooms.

After the square of the forum one finds the ruins of thermal baths of Cumae, were built in the 2ndcentury. B.C. / B.C.E. modified and expanded several times up to the 5th century. A.D. / C.E.
In the complex there was a gym, the frigidarium, for bathing with cold water baths, the tiepidarium, for baths in warm water, the sudatio, for steam baths, and the caldarium with three pools, for hot water and steam baths. Here we also find the old Domitiana, a road made up of stones that led to Rome.

The local market of the ancient city of Cuma

After the ancient Via Domitiana, we first find the remains of a small local market, then the path leads to the exit of the forum and the town. We are in fact, in front of the central gate of Cuma, the entrance to the city.

The necropolis of the excavations of Cumae

The necropolis, from the Greek nekros (dead) and polis (city), is the cemetery of ancient Cumae located outside the town, near the central gate.

So leaving the city we arrive at the necropolis of Cumae, the cemetery with various mausoleums. Here tombs from the Greek, Samnite and Roman periods have been found. The cremation was the technique used for the burial, or at least it was for the magior part of the tombs found and the ashes found were inside a small bronze cauldrons in turn inside blocks of white tuff with various kits of the deceased (pins, clasps, spindles, weapons, etc.), objects that make us understand the type and level of life of those people before they died.