Ancient Capua, Archaeological site in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy

Ancient Capua is an archaeological site in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, in the Campania region, preserving the remains of a major city from Etruscan and Roman times. The surviving structures include a large amphitheater, temples, public baths, and extensive burial grounds spread across several districts of the modern town.

Etruscan occupation of the site dates to the 9th century BCE, though the city's founding year was debated even in antiquity. Capua led a league of twelve Etruscan cities in Campania until the Oscan-speaking Samnites took it in 423 BCE. After Hannibal wintered there in 216 BCE, Rome retook the city in 211 BCE and stripped it of its territory and citizenship. Saracen raids destroyed it in 841 CE, and the inhabitants moved to Casilinum, founding modern Capua.

The name Capua probably comes from the Etruscan Capeva, "city of marshes"; Roman writers instead linked it to caput, "head", because the city led the twelve Etruscan cities of Campania. Its amphitheater housed the first gladiator school, from which Spartacus escaped in 73 BCE. Hannibal wintered here in 216 BCE, and the proverb "delights of Capua" recalls his army's stay.

The ruins are divided across several separate areas within the modern town, so it is worth mapping out which sites you want to visit before you arrive. Footwear with good grip is recommended, as some excavated areas have uneven ground and loose stones.

The Tabula Capuana, a terracotta tablet covered in Etruscan writing, was discovered here and is one of the longest Etruscan texts known to survive. The text records religious rituals, suggesting that this city was a major center of Etruscan written culture.