In ancient Italy, the inland area between the South of Rome and north-east of Naples, pre-eminently mountainous with only a few plains, was inhabited by a true Italic people called OSCII which subdivided itself in Irpini (those which inhabited the Avellino area), Samnites (those which inhabited the Caserta area) and Caudinii (those which inhabited the cities of Caudium and Abella, today's Avella). Together, they formed the Samnite League against the Romans both in the second and third Samnite wars, in the years 326 BC and 289 BC, for the domain of the eastbound route through the "Caudium canyon" in the Italian Pennines. The conflict between the power of Rome and the prowess of the Samnites lasted 300 years. According to history, in one of the shrewdest battles, Rome was defeated and made to kneel under the "Caudium forculae".In the aftermath the younger "Caudini" spread around as praised mercenaries.
