Modern Views
Modern historians have doubted the historical accuracy of Livy's description of this battle. Livy's battle-scenes for this time period are mostly free reconstructions by him and his sources, and there are no reason why this battle should be an exception. The amount of spoils taken and the Samnite losses they imply have clearly been exaggerated. Salmon(1967) suspected Valerius' victories in 343 could be doublets of Roman operations against Hannibal in the same area in 215. Since the testimony of the Fasti Triumphales require some degree of Roman success in 343, Salmon(1967) therefore proposed that there was only one battle in 343 which was fought on the outskirts of Capua near the shrine of Juno Gaura, which Livy or his source has then confused with Mount Gaurus. These proposed doublets are rejected by Oakley(1998) who inclines towards believing the Romans and Samnites fought three battles in 343. The location of two of the battles at Mount Gaurus and Suessula could reflect a twin Samnite attack on Cumae and Capua.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Suessula
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