Ampsanctus

Ampsanctus

Ampsanctus

Lake in Italy


Ampsanctus, or Amsanctus (modern: Sorgente Mefita) was a small lake in the territory of the Hirpini, c.15 kilometres (9 mi) south of Aeclanum, close to the Via Appia (southern Italy). There are now two small pools which exhale carbonic acid gas and hydrogen sulfide. Close by was a temple of the goddess Mephitis, with a cave from which suffocating vapors rose, and for this reason the place was brought into connection with the legends of the infernal regions. Virgil's description (Aeneid, vii. 563) is not, however, very accurate.[1]


Notes

  1.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ampsanctus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 893.



Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Ampsanctus, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.