LUCRINUS LACUS

lucrinus lacus, or lucrine lake, a lake of campania, italy, about 1⁄2 m. to the n. of lake avernus, and only separated from the sea (gulf of pozzuoli) by a narrow strip of land, traversed by the coast road, via herculanea, which runs on an embankment, the construction of which was traditionally attributed to heracles in strabo's time--and the modern railway. its size has been much reduced by the rise of the crater of the montenuovo in 1538. its greatest depth is about 15 ft. in roman days its fisheries were important and were let out by the state to contractors. its oyster-beds were, as at the present day, renowned; their foundation is attributed to one sergius orata, about 100 b.c. it was also in favour as a resort for pleasure excursions from baiae (cf. martial i. 63), and its banks were covered with villas, of which the best known was cicero's academia, on the e. bank. the remnants of this villa, with the village of tripergola, disappeared in 1538. see j. beloch, _campanien_, ed. 2 (breslau, 1890), 172.