CRATER(ὁ Κρατὴρ) was the name given by the Greeks, according to Strabo (5. p. 242), to the beautiful gulf now known as the Bay of Naples, one of the most remarkable natural features on the coast of Italy. It was called by Eratosthenes the CUMAEAN GULF(ὁ Κύμαιος κόλπος, ap. Strab. 1. p. 22, 23); Appian terms it the Gulf above Cumae (ὁ κόλπος ὁ ὑπὲρ Κύμης, B.C. 5.81); it appears to have been generally known to Roman writers as the Gulf of Puteoli. (SINUS PUTEOLANUS,Plin. Nat. 3.6. s. 12; Mela 2.4; Suet. Aug. 98.) Its boundaries and natural characters have been already described under the article CAMPANIA
[E.H.B]