epigraphical documentation from the middle of the seventh century B C (Fig. 16.4.3),
but also in the case of Capua, in the light of the results of recent excavations in the
necropoleis (necropolis of the Nuovo Mattatoio, Fig. 16.6). At the same time, very recent
discoveries have furnished indications of a broad sphere of interaction between the diverse
components of the Campanian population as early as the beginning of the First Iron Age
(Cuozzo 2 0 12 with bibliography).
The stabile presence of Greeks in Campania enriched and complicated the situation
described. The settlement of Pithekoussai, which was established by Chalkis and Eretria
according to the ancient sources, points to the conclusion of a phase when the coasts of
the Tyrrhenian Sea were frequented by seafarers coming above all from Eubeoa and from
the Cyclades, following the routes of the Phoenicians. These first contacts, at a time when
the West was still unknown territory, are attested by the mythical locations of the Odyssey.
The community of Pithekoussai does not seem to follow the rigid norms of a Greek polis
but constitutes an emblematic example of integration and cohabitation among ethnically
2CFigure 16.2 Pontecagnano. Princely Tombs. 1. Tombs 926—928; 2. Female princely Tomb 2465
with a selection of the grave goods; 3. Horse armor (mask) from Tomb 4 46 1; 4. The “basic set” of
Orientalizing grave goods.chapter 1 6 : Etruscans in Campania1A2AIB 2B34