Acerra

Acerra (aˈtʃɛrra) is a town and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, about northeast of the capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain. Acerra is one of the most ancient cities of the region, likely founded by the Osci with the name of Akeru (Acerrae, Ἀχέρραι). It first appears in history as an independent city during the great war of the Campanians and Latins against Rome. Shortly after the conclusion, in 332 BC, the Acerrani, in common with several other Campanian cities, obtained the Roman "civitas", without the right of suffrage. The period at which the latter privilege was granted upon them is not mentioned, however, it is certain that they ultimately obtained full rights over the Roman citizens. In the Second Punic War, the city was faithful to the Roman alliance, on which account it was besieged by Hannibal in 216 BC, following which the city was quickly abandoned by the inhabitants in despair, leading the city to be plundered and burnt. After the expulsion of Hannibal from Campania, the Acerrani, with the consent of the Roman senate, returned to and rebuilt their city in 210 BC. Acerra served as a Roman base during the Social War in 90 BC. During the war, it was besieged by the Samnite General, Gaius Papius Mutilus, but offered so vigorous a resistance that he was unable to reduce it. Virgil praises the fertility of its territory, but the town itself had suffered so much from the frequent inundations of the river Clanius, on which it was situated, that it was in his time almost deserted. It subsequently received a colony under Augustus, and Strabo speaks of it in conjunction with Nola and Nuceria, apparently as a place of some consequence. It does not seem, however, to have retained its colonial rank, but is mentioned by Pliny as an ordinary municipal town. In 826 the Lombards built a castle here, which was later demolished by Bono of Naples. In 881 it was sacked by the Saracens. Later it became a Norman possession, the seat of a county.