Ausones

The Ausones were an ancient Italic tribe inhabiting the coastal region of Campania, Italy, between the Volturnus and Liris rivers. They were also known as the Aurunci, a name derived from the Greek "Ausones." The Greeks applied this term to various Italic tribes, but it eventually became a poetic name for all of Italy. The Ausones were exterminated by the Romans in 314 BCE after a 50-year conflict. Their language is not recorded, but it is believed to be an Italic dialect, possibly Volscian, similar to their northern neighbors. Evidence suggests they were among the indigenous populations of the Tyrrhenian coastal arc, alongside other groups like the Siculi and Oenotrii.12