The ancient town of Cumae was the oldest Greek colony in the west.  It was founded in the last quarter of the 8th century B.C.  From the town’s acropolis one can see the island of Procida and its smaller islet of Vivara; farther away is the island of Ischia.  Mycenaean artifacts have been found on these islands, proving the presence of Greek colonists in the area in the 8th century.  We are told that Ischia was called Pithekoussai in Greek, which means “island of the monkeys.”

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