| Lake Avernus | |
|---|---|
| Lago d'Averno (Italian) | |
 | |
  Lake Avernus  Lake Avernus | |
| Coordinates | 40°50′18″N14°04′30″E / 40.83833°N 14.07500°E /40.83833; 14.07500 |
| Type | crater lake |
| Max. depth | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 1 m (3 ft) |
Lake Avernus (Italian:Lago d'Averno) is avolcanic crater lake located in theAvernus crater in theCampania region of southern Italy, around 4 kilometres (2+1⁄2 miles) west ofPozzuoli. It is near the volcanic field known as thePhlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei) and comprises part of the widerCampanian volcanic arc. The lake is roughly circular, measuringtwo kilometres (1+1⁄4 mi) in circumference and 60 metres (200 ft) deep.
Avernus was of major importance to theRomans, who considered it to be the entrance toHades. Roman writers often used the name as a synonym for the underworld. InVirgil'sAeneid,Aeneas descends to the underworld through a cave near the lake. InHyginus'Fabulae,Odysseus also goes to the lower world from this spot, where he meetsElpenor, his comrade who went missing atCirce's palace.[1]
Despite the alleged dangers of the lake, the Romans were happy to settle its shores, on which villas and vineyards were established. The lake's personification, thedeus Avernus, was worshipped in lakeside temples. A large bathhouse was built on the eastern shore of the lake.
In 37 BC, the Roman generalMarcus Vipsanius Agrippa converted the lake into a naval base named thePortus Julius afterOctavian. It was linked by a canal to a nearby lake (Lucrinus Lacus) and, from there, to the sea. The lake shore was also connected to the Greek colony ofCumae by an underground passage known as Cocceio's Cave (Grotta di Cocceio), which was one kilometre (0.6 mi) long and wide enough to be used by chariots. This was the world's first major road tunnel; it remained usable until as recently as the 1940s.
The Borboni, theNaples-ruling members of theHouse of Bourbon, owned the lake until 1750 when they ceded it to another aristocratic family, who in turn sold it, in 1991, to the Cardillo family. In 2010, a 55-hectare (140-acre) tract of land—including the lake, a lakefront restaurant,B&B anddisco—was seized by the police after the owner was accused of being a mafia frontman (for theCasalesi).[2]
In the pre-modern era, Italian geographers also called Lago Averno theLago diTripergola.[3][4][5] It was named after the nearby village of Tripergola, which was destroyed by a volcaniceruption in 1538.[6]
Le lac est encore connu aujourd'hui sous le nom delago d'Averno oulago di Tripergola.[="The lake is still known today under the name oflago d'Averno orlago di Tripergola."]
[The lake Avernus] is situated nearPuzzuoli in the province ofTerra di Lavoro, and is called by the modern ItaliansLago d'Averno andLago di Tripergola.
Lago di Tripergola.Avernus lacus.Campaniæ.
Account of the Rise ofMonte Nuovo, in the Year 1538 [...] the earth opened near Tripergola with a terrible sound like thunder
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728)."Averni" .Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.
Archaeological sites inCampania | ||
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| Province of Avellino |     | |
| Province of Benevento | ||
| Province of Caserta | ||
| Province of Naples | ||
| Province of Salerno | ||
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