The presence of an original settlement by an unknown Oscan people (the Oscans were a number of various peoples in central and southern Italy who spoke Oscan dialects), which is dated to the 8th-7th century BC, is known only though archaeological finds. Therefore, the reason for their founding of the original settlement of Pompeii is unknown. It is likely that this was due to its location. Because it was near Mount Vesuvius, it lied in an area with fertile volcanic soil. It was also near the Bay of Naples which made it an important port. It was then taken over by the Etruscans and then the Greeks (between 525 and 474 BC) who used it as a port. In the 5th century BC it was taken over by the Samnites, one of the Oscan-speaking peoples. They migrated to Campania, a plain between the coast (in the area around Naples) and the Apennine Mountains, the homeland of the Samnites, due to population pressure of the land in these mountains. In 80 BC the Romans settled retired Roman soldiers there and the place then became a Roman town.

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