| Battle of Cumae | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Syracuse, Sicily Cumae | Etruscans Umbrians Daunians | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Hiero I of Syracuse | Etruscan kings | ||||||||
TheBattle of Cumae is the name given to at least two battles betweenCumae and theEtruscans:
The Greek-colonised city of Cumae in southern Italy was founded in 8th century BC in an area towards the southern Etruscan border.
By 504 the southern Etruscans were defeated by the Cumaeans, but they still maintained a powerful force. In 474 they were able to raise a fleet to launch a direct attack on Cumae.[4]
In the naval battle, after he was called on for military assistance,Hiero I of Syracuse allied with naval forces from the maritime Greek cities of southern Italy to defend against Etruscan expansion into southernItaly. In 474, they met and defeated the Etruscan fleet at Cumae in theBay of Naples.[5] After their defeat, the Etruscans lost much of their political influence in Italy. They lost control of the sea and their territories were eventually taken over by theRomans,Samnites, andGauls. The Syracusans dedicated a captured Etruscan helmet at the greatpanhellenic sanctuary at Olympia, a piece of armour found in the German excavations there. The Etruscans would later join the failedAthenianexpedition against Syracuse in 415 BC, which contributed even further to their decline.[citation needed]
The battle was later honored inPindar's first Pythian Ode.[4][6][7]
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