Avernus Lacus

vol. III p. 2286

Avernus Lacus

Usually written as Ἄορνος by the Greeks, because of the etymology from ἀ-ὄρνις; Ἀουερνίς Dio Cass. XLVIII 50, a small crater lake in Campania not far from Puteoli, <10> now Lago d'Averno, 3km in size, without a natural drain. In ancient times, the lake was isolated and surrounded by dense forest (Ps.-Arist. de mir. ausc. 102. Strab. V 244), which lead to many mysterious legends, usually to do with the underworld, being set here (Strab. V 224. Max. Tyr. diss. XIV 2); this was where people placed the Cimmerians, who didn't see the light of the sun because they lived in deep holes (Ephoros in Strab. V 244); <20> here was the cave of the Sibyl at Cumae where Aeneas entered Tartarus (Verg. Aen. III 442ff. V 732. VI 118. 201. 239ff. VII 91. Lycophr. 695ff. Sil. Ital. XII 130.). People told the legend that the lake was bottomless (Lycophr. 704. Diodor IV 22. Ps.-Arist. loc. cit. Lucan. II 665) - though in reality it was only 65m deep - and that the steam emerging from it polluted the air so badly that no bird dared fly over it (Lucret. VI 744. Strab. V 244. Tzetz. ad Lycophr. 704). <30> Agrippa shed light into this mysterious darkness: alongside his great work on Lake Lucrinius, he had a canal dug between Lucrinius and Avernus, which, however, didn't work for very long (Strab. V 245. Cassiod. var. IX 6). He also had the dense forests lit, and created a shorter connection to the harbour city Cumae with the brilliant tunnel (now Grotte di Pietro la Pace) which cuts through the back of Monte Grillo (Strab. loc. cit. Vergil. Georg. II 164; Dio Cass. XLVIII 50. Agathias Goth. I 10). <40> When Nero was planning his canal from the Tiber to Baiae, the works seem to have been started near the Lacus Avernus (Sueton. Nero 31. Plin. n. h. XIV 61. Tacit. ann. XV 42). Outside of the sources mentioned, see also Vergil. Georg. II 164. IV 193. Cul. 212. Propert. IV 18, 1. Ovid. met. X 51. XIV 114. Stat. Theb. XI 588. Sil. Ital. XI 452. Claudian. rapt. Pros. 2. <50> Cic. Tusc. I 18. Liv. XXIV 12. 20. Vellei. II 79. Skymn. 236. Plin. n. h. III 61. XXXI 6. 21. XXXII 61. Mela II 70. Ammian. Marcell. XXVIII 22. Vib. Sequester p. 11 Burs. Tab. Peut. Hesych. Feriale Campanum CIL X 3792. cf. Beloch Campanien 168-172.

[Hülsen.]