Numistro

NUMISTRO(Νουμίστρων, Ptol; ΝομίστρωνPlut.: Eth. Numestranus), a town of Lucania, apparently near the frontiers of Apulia, near which a battle was fought between Hannibal and Marcellus, in B.C. 210, without any decisive result (Liv. 27.2; Plut. Marc. 24). From the narrative of Livy, which is copied by Plutarch, it is clear that Numistro was situated in the northern part of Lucania, as Marcellus marched out of Samnium thither, and Hannibal after the battle drew off his forces, and withdrew towards Apulia, but was overtaken by Marcellus near Venusia. Pliny also enumerates the Numestrani (evidently the same people) among the municipal towns of Lucania, and places them in the neighbourhood of the Volcentani. Hence it is certainly a mistake on the part of Ptolemy that he transfers Numistro to the interior of Bruttium, unless there were two towns of the name, which is scarcely probable. Cluverius, however, follows Ptolemy, and identifies Numistro with Nicastroin Calabria, but this is certainly erroneous (Plin. Nat. 3.11. s. 15; Ptol. 3.1.74; Cluver. Ital. p. 1319). The site conjecturally assigned to it—by Romanelli, near the modern Muro, about 20 miles NW. from Potenza, is plausible enough, and agrees well with Pliny's statement that it was united for municipal purposes with Volceii (Buccino), which is about 12 miles distant from Muro (Romanelli, vol. 1. p. 434). Some ancient remains and inscriptions have been found on the spot.
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