Puteoli
From Freepedia
Puteoli, the ancient predecessor of Pozzuoli, was an Italian city of Roman times on the coast of Campania, on the north shore of a bay running north from the Bay of Naples. The Roman colony there was established in 194 BC. The name comes from the Latin word for little wells, referring to the many hydrothermal vents in the area.
Puteoli was the great emporium for the Alexandrian grain ships, and other ships from all over the Roman world. It also was the main hub for goods exported from Campania, including blown glass, mosaics, wrought iron, and marble. The Roman naval base at nearby Misenum housed the largest naval fleet in the ancient world.
The apostle Paul is traditionally supposed having landed here on his way to Rome, from which it was distant 170 miles. Here he would have tarried for seven days (Acts 28:13, 14) and with his companions began their journey by the Appian Way to Rome.
Puteoli was the location for a spectacular stunt (in 37 AD) by the eccentric Caligula, who on becoming Emperor ordered a temporary floating bridge to built using ships as pontoons, stretching for over two miles from the town to the famous neighboring resort of Baiae, across which he proceeded to ride his horse, in defiance of an astrologer's prediction that he had "no more chance of becoming Emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae."
Although the remains of a huge amphitheatre may still be seen here, much of the ancient city has sunk under the sea as a result of geological activity.
This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
