The Appian Way (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important
Roman roads of the ancient
republic. It connected
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to
Brindisi, in southeast
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Its importance is indicated by its common name, recorded by
Statius
Publius Papinius Statius ( Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; ; ) was a Greco-Roman poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving Latin poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid''; a collection of occasional poetry, ...
, of ("the Appian Way, the queen of the long roads").
The road is named after
Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus ( 312–279 BC) was a statesman and writer from the Roman Republic. The first Roman public figure whose life can be traced with some historical certainty, Caecus was responsible for the building of Rome's first road (t ...
,
the
Roman censor
The censor (at any time, there were two) was a magistrate in ancient Rome who was responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances.
The power of the censor was ab ...
who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC
["Appian Way" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: ]George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 – 9 June 1910) was a British publisher and editor and a founding figure in popular journalism. Newnes also served as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for two decades. His company, George Newne ...
, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 490. during the
Samnite Wars.
Origins
The need for roads
The Appian Way was a
Roman road used as a main route for military supplies for its conquest of southern Italy in 312 BC and for improvements in communication.
The Appian Way was the first long road built specifically to transport troops outside the smaller region of greater
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
(this was essential to the Romans). The few roads outside the early city were
Etruscan and went mainly to
Etruria. By the late
Republic, the Romans had expanded over most of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and were masters of road construction. Their roads began at Rome, where the master , or list of destinations along the roads, was located, and extended to the borders of their domain – hence the expression, "
All roads lead to Rome".
The Samnite Wars
Romans had an affinity for the people of
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
, population_note =
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, demographics_type1 =
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, demog ...
, who, like themselves, traced their backgrounds to the
Etruscans
The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...
. The
Samnite Wars were instigated by the
Samnites when Rome attempted to ally itself with the city of
Capua
Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain.
History
Ancient era
The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...
in Campania. The
Italic speakers in
Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Definition
Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...
had long ago been subdued and incorporated into the Roman state. They were responsible for changing Rome from a primarily Etruscan to a primarily Italic state.
Dense populations of sovereign Samnites remained in the mountains north of Capua, which is just north of the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
city of
Neapolis. Around 343 BC, Rome and Capua attempted to form an alliance. The Samnites reacted with military force.
The barrier of the Pontine Marshes
Between Capua and Rome lay the
Pontine Marshes (''Pomptinae paludes''), a
swamp infested with
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
. A tortuous coastal road wound between
Ostia at the mouth of the
Tiber
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest List of rivers of Italy, river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where ...
and
Neapolis. The
Via Latina
The Via Latina (Latin for "Latin Road") was a Roman road of Italy, running southeast from Rome for about 200 kilometers.
Route
It led from the Porta Latina in the Aurelian walls of Rome to the pass of Mount Algidus; it was important in the ear ...
followed its ancient and scarcely more accessible path along the foothills of
Monti Laziali and
Monti Lepini, which are visible towering over the former marsh.
In the
First Samnite War
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe.
...
(343–341 BC) the Romans found they could not support or resupply troops in the field against the Samnites across the marsh. A revolt of the
Latin League
The Latin League (c. 7th century BC – 338 BC)Stearns, Peter N. (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of World History'', Houghton Mifflin. pp. 76–78. . was an ancient confederation of about 30 villages and tribes in the region of Latium near the ancient ...
drained their resources further. They gave up the attempted alliance and settled with
Samnium.
Colonization to the southeast
The Romans were only biding their time while they looked for a solution. The first answer was the
colonia, a "cultivation" of settlers from Rome, who would maintain a permanent base of operations. The
Second Samnite War
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe.
...
(327–304 BC) erupted when Rome attempted to place a colony at
Cales in 334 BC and again at
Fregellae
Fregellae was an ancient town of Latium adiectum, situated on the Via Latina between Aquinum (modern Aquino) and Frusino (now Frosinone, in central Italy), near the left branch of the Liris.
History
Fregellae was said to have been founded i ...
in 328 BC on the other side of the marshes. The Samnites, now a major power after defeating the
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
of
Tarentum, occupied Neapolis to try to ensure its loyalty. The Neapolitans appealed to Rome, which sent an army and expelled the Samnites from Neapolis.
Appius Claudius' beginning of the works
In 312 BC,
Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus ( 312–279 BC) was a statesman and writer from the Roman Republic. The first Roman public figure whose life can be traced with some historical certainty, Caecus was responsible for the building of Rome's first road (t ...
became
censor at Rome. He was of the
gens Claudia, who were
patricians
The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...
descended from the
Sabines taken into the early Roman state. He had been given the name of the founding ancestor of the gens, Appius Claudius (Attus Clausus in Sabine). He was a
populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...
, i.e., an advocate of the common people. A man of inner perspicacity, in the years of success he was said to have lost his outer vision and thus acquired the name , "blind".
Without waiting to be told what to do by the
Senate, Appius Claudius began bold public works to address the supply problem. An aqueduct (the
Aqua Appia
The Aqua Appia was the first Roman aqueduct, constructed in 312 BC by the co-censors Gaius Plautius Venox and Appius Claudius Caecus, the same Roman censor who also built the important Via Appia.
The Appia fed the city of Rome with an estima ...
) secured the water supply of the city of Rome. By far the best known project was the road, which ran across the
Pontine Marshes to the coast northwest of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, where it turned north to Capua. On it, any number of fresh troops could be sped to the theatre of operations, and supplies could be moved en masse to Roman bases without hindrance by either enemy or terrain. It is no surprise that, after his term as censor, Appius Claudius became
consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
twice, subsequently held other offices, and was a respected consultant to the state even during his later years.
The success of the road
The road achieved its purpose. The outcome of the Second Samnite War was at last favorable to Rome. In a series of blows the Romans reversed their fortunes, bringing Etruria to the table in 311 BC, the very year of their revolt, and
Samnium in 304 BC. The road was the main factor that allowed them to concentrate their forces with sufficient rapidity and to keep them adequately supplied, whereafter they became a formidable opponent.
Construction of the road
The main part of the Appian Way was started and finished in 312 BC.
The road began as a leveled dirt road upon which small stones and
mortar were laid. Gravel was laid upon this, which was finally topped with tight fitting, interlocking stones to provide a flat surface. The historian Procopius said that the stones fit together so securely and closely that they appeared to have grown together rather than to have been fitted together. The road was cambered in the middle (for water runoff) and had ditches on either side of the road which were protected by retaining walls.
Between Rome and Lake Albano
The road began in the
Forum Romanum, passed through the
Servian Wall
The Servian Wall ( la, Murus Servii Tullii; it, Mura Serviane) was an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide ...
at the
porta Capena
Porta Capena was a gate in the Servian Wall in Rome, Italy.
The gate was located in the area of Piazza di Porta Capena, where the Caelian Hill, Caelian, Palatine Hill, Palatine and Aventine Hill, Aventine hills meet. Probably its exact position ...
, went through a cutting in the
clivus Martis, and left the city. For this stretch of the road, the builders used the Via Latina. The building of the
Aurelian Wall centuries later required the placing of another gate, the
Porta Appia. Outside of Rome the new Via Appia went through well-to-do suburbs along the Via Norba, the ancient track to the
Alban hills, where
Norba
Norba, an ancient town of Latium (''Adjectum''), Italy. It is situated 1 mile northwest of the modern town of Norma, on the western edge of the Volscian Mountains or Monti Lepini. The town is perched above a precipitous cliff with a splendid v ...
was situated. The road at the time was a via glarea, a gravel road. The Romans built a high-quality road, with layers of cemented stone over a layer of small stones, cambered, drainage ditches on either side, low retaining walls on sunken portions, and dirt pathways for sidewalks. The Via Appia is believed to have been the first Roman road to feature the use of lime cement. The materials were volcanic rock. The surface was said to have been so smooth that you could not distinguish the joints. The Roman section still exists and is lined with monuments of all periods, although the cement has eroded out of the joints, leaving a very rough surface.
Across the marsh
The road concedes nothing to the
Alban hills, but goes straight through them over cuts and fills. The gradients are steep. Then it enters the former Pontine Marshes. A stone causeway of about led across stagnant and foul-smelling pools blocked from the sea by sand dunes. Appius Claudius planned to drain the marsh, taking up earlier attempts, but he failed. The causeway and its bridges subsequently needed constant repair. No one enjoyed crossing the marsh. In 162 BC, Marcus Cornelius Cathegus had a canal constructed along the road to relieve the traffic and provide an alternative when the road was being repaired. Romans preferred using the canal.
Along the coast
The Via Appia picked up the coastal road at
Tarracina (Terracina). However, the Romans straightened it somewhat with cuttings, which form cliffs today. From there the road swerved north to Capua, where, for the time being, it ended. Caudine Forks was not far to the north. The itinerary was
Aricia (Ariccia),
Tres Tabernae Three Taverns ( la, Tres Tabernae; , ''Treis Tabernai'') was a place on the ancient Appian Way, about 50 km (31 miles) from Rome, designed for the reception of travellers, as the name indicates.
History
Tres Tabernae originated as a post stat ...
,
Forum Appii, Tarracina,
Fundi (Fondi),
Formiae (Formia),
Minturnae
Minturno is a city and ''comune'' in the southern Lazio, Italy, situated on the north west bank of the Garigliano (known in antiquity as the Liris), with a suburb on the opposite bank about from its mouth, at the point where the Via Appia cross ...
(Minturno),
Suessa,
Casilinum and Capua, but some of these were colonies added after the Samnite Wars. The distance was . The original road had no milestones, as they were not yet in use. A few survive from later times, including a first milestone near the porta Appia.
Extension to Beneventum
The
Third Samnite War
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe.
...
(298–290 BC) is perhaps misnamed. It was an all-out attempt by all the neighbors of Rome: Italics, Etruscans and
Gauls
The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...
, to check the power of Rome. The Samnites were the leading people of the conspiracy. Rome dealt the northerners a crushing blow at the
Battle of Sentinum
The Battle of Sentinum was the decisive battle of the Third Samnite War, fought in 295 BC near Sentinum (next to the modern town of Sassoferrato, in the Marche region of Italy), in which the Romans overcame a formidable coalition of Samnite ...
in
Umbria
it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman)
, population_note =
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in 295. The Samnites fought on alone. Rome now placed 13 colonies in Campania and Samnium. It must have been during this time that they extended the Via Appia 35 miles beyond Capua past the Caudine forks to a place the Samnites called Maloenton, "passage of the flocks". The itinerary added
Calatia,
Caudium and
Beneventum (not yet called that). Here also ended the
Via Latina
The Via Latina (Latin for "Latin Road") was a Roman road of Italy, running southeast from Rome for about 200 kilometers.
Route
It led from the Porta Latina in the Aurelian walls of Rome to the pass of Mount Algidus; it was important in the ear ...
.
Extension to Apulia and Calabria
By 290 BC, the sovereignty of the Samnites had ended. The heel of Italy lay open to the Romans. The dates are somewhat uncertain and there is considerable variation in the sources, but during the Third Samnite War the Romans seem to have extended the road to
Venusia
Venosa ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gerva ...
, where they placed a colony of 20,000 men. After that they were at Tarentum.
Roman expansion alarmed Tarentum, the leading city of the Greek presence (Magna Graecia) in southern Italy. They hired the mercenary, King
Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus (; grc-gre, Πύρρος ; 319/318–272 BC) was a Greek king and statesman of the Hellenistic period.Plutarch. '' Parallel Lives'',Pyrrhus... He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house, and later he be ...
, in neighboring
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
to fight the Romans on their behalf. In 280 BC the Romans suffered a defeat at the hands of Pyrrhus at the
Battle of Heraclea
The Battle of Heraclea took place in 280 BC between the Romans under the command of consul Publius Valerius Laevinus, and the combined forces of Greeks from Epirus, Tarentum, Thurii, Metapontum, and Heraclea under the command of Pyrrhus, ...
on the coast west of
Tarentum. The battle was costly for both sides, prompting Pyrrhus to remark "One more such victory and I am lost." Making the best of it, the Roman army turned on Greek
Rhegium
Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated pop ...
and effected a massacre of Pyrrhian partisans there.
Rather than pursue them, Pyrrhus went straight for Rome along the Via Appia and then the Via Latina. He knew that if he continued on the Via Appia he could be trapped in the marsh. Wary of such entrapment on the Via Latina also, he withdrew without fighting after encountering opposition at
Anagni
Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Latium, central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic center of the Latin Valley.
Geography Overview
Anagni still maintains the appear ...
. Wintering in
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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, he withdrew to Apulia in 279 BC, where, pursued by the Romans, he won a second costly victory at the
Battle of Asculum
The Battle of Asculum took place in 279 BC between the Roman Republic under the command of the consuls Publius Decius Mus and Publius Sulpicius Saverrio, and the forces of King Pyrrhus of Epirus. The battle took place during the Pyrrhic War, a ...
. Withdrawing from Apulia for a Sicilian interlude, he returned to Apulia in 275 BC and started for Campania up the Roman road.
Supplied by that same road, the Romans successfully defended the region against Pyrrhus, crushing his army in a two-day fight at the
Battle of Beneventum in 275 BC. The Romans renamed the town from "Maleventum" ("site of bad events") to Beneventum ("site of good events") as a result. Pyrrhus withdrew to Greece, where he died in a street fight in Argos in 272 BC. Tarentum fell to the Romans that same year, who proceeded to consolidate their rule over all of Italy.
The Romans pushed the Via Appia to the port of
Brundisium
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histo ...
in 264 BC. The itinerary from Beneventum was now
Venusia
Venosa ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gerva ...
,
Silvium, Tarentum,
Uria and Brundisium. The Roman Republic was the government of Italy, for the time being. Appius Claudius died in 273, but in extending the road a number of times, no one has tried to displace his name upon it.
Rediscovery
The Appian Way's path across today's regions
Lazio
it, Laziale
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and
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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has always been well known, while the exact position of the part located in Apulia (the original one, not the extension by Trajan) was unknown, since there were no visible remains of the Appian Way in that region.
In the first half of the 20th century, the professor of ancient Roman topography
Giuseppe Lugli
Giuseppe Lugli (born in Rome, Italy, in 1890; died in Rome, Italy, on December 5, 1967) was Professor of ancient Roman topography at the University of Rome from 1933 to 1961.
Lugli's academic career began with the completion of his undergraduat ...
managed to discover, with the then innovative technique of
photogrammetry, what probably was the route of the Appian Way from
Gravina in Puglia
Gravina in Puglia (; nap, label= Barese, Gravéine ; la, Silvium; grc, Σιλούϊον, Siloúïon) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy.
The word ''gravina'' comes from the Latin ''grava'' or from ...
(''Silvium'') up to
Taranto. When analysing
aerophotogrammetric shots of the area, Lugli noticed a path ( it, tratturo) named ''la Tarantina'', whose direction was still largely influenced by the
centuriation Centuriation (in Latin ''centuriatio'' or, more usually, ''limitatio''), also known as Roman grid, was a method of land measurement used by the Romans. In many cases land divisions based on the survey formed a field system, often referred to in mode ...
; this, according to Lugli, was the path of the Appian Way. This path, as well as the part located in today's
Apulia region, was still in use in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. A further piece of evidence for Lugli's proposed path is the presence of a number of archaeological remains in that region, among them the ancient settlement of Jesce.
By studying the distances given in the
Antonine Itinerary, Lugli also assigned the Appian Way stations ''Blera'' and ''Sublupatia'' (which also occurs on the ''
Tabula Peutingeriana
' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire.
The map is a 13th-ce ...
'') respectively to the areas ''Murgia Catena'' and ''Taverna'' (between masseria (estate farmhouse) S. Filippo and masseria S. Pietro). However, the toponym ''Murgia Catena'' defined too large an area, so that it didn't allow a clear localization of the Appian Way station. Recently Luciano Piepoli, based on the distances given in the
Antonine Itinerary and on recent archeological findings, has suggested that ''Silvium'' should be ''Santo Staso'', an area very close to
Gravina in Puglia
Gravina in Puglia (; nap, label= Barese, Gravéine ; la, Silvium; grc, Σιλούϊον, Siloúïon) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy.
The word ''gravina'' comes from the Latin ''grava'' or from ...
, ''Blera'' should be ''masseria Castello'', and ''Sublupatia'' should be ''masseria Caione''.
Extension by Trajan
The emperor
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
built the
Via Traiana
Via Appia ''(white)'' and Via Traiana ''(red)''
The Via Traiana was an ancient Roman road. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. via Canusi ...
, an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium via
Canusium
Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa ( nap, label= Canosino, Canaus), is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. It is located between Bari and Foggia, on the northwestern edge of the ...
and
Barium rather than via Tarentum. This was commemorated by an arch at Beneventum.
Travellers could cross the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
through the
Otranto Strait
The Strait of Otranto ( sq, Ngushtica e Otrantos; it, Canale d'Otranto; hr, Otrantska Vrata) connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width at Punta Palascìa, east of Salento is less than . The str ...
towards
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
either by landing at present day
Durrës
Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...
through the
Via Egnatia or near the ancient town of
Apollonia and continue towards present day
Rrogozhina in central Albania.
Notable historical events along the road
The crucifixion of Spartacus' army
In 73 BC, a slave revolt (known as the
Third Servile War) under the ex-gladiator of Capua,
Spartacus
Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...
, began against the Romans. Slavery accounted for roughly every third person in Italy.
Spartacus defeated many Roman armies in a conflict that lasted for over two years. While trying to escape from Italy at
Brundisium
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histo ...
he unwittingly moved his forces into the historic trap at
Apulia in
Calabria. The Romans were well acquainted with the region. Legions were brought home from abroad and Spartacus was pinned between armies. The ex-slave army was defeated at the
Siler River by
Marcus Licinius Crassus.
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...
's armies captured and killed several thousand rebels that escaped from the battle and Crassus captured several thousand more. The Romans judged that the slaves had forfeited their right to live. In 71 BC, 6,000 slaves were
crucified
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...
along the Via Appia from Rome to Capua.
The World War II Battle of Anzio
In 1943, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the
Allies fell into the same trap Pyrrhus had retreated to avoid, in the
Pomptine fields, the successor to the
Pomptine marshes. The marsh remained, despite many efforts to drain it, until engineers working for
Benito Mussolini finally succeeded. (Even so, the fields were infested with
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
l
mosquitos
Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...
until the advent of
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
in the 1950s.)
Hoping to break a stalemate at
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...
, the Allies landed on the coast of Italy at the
Anzio-
Nettuno area - ancient
Antium
Antium was an ancient coastal town in Latium, south of Rome. An oppidum was founded by people of Latial culture (11th century BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), then it was the main stronghold of the Volsci people until it was conqu ...
- which was midway between
Ostia and
Terracina. They found that the place was undefended. They intended to move along the line of the Via Appia to take Rome, outflanking
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...
, but they did not do so quickly enough. The Germans occupied Mounts Laziali and Lepini along the track of the old Via Latina, from which they rained down shells on Anzio. Even though the Allies expanded into all the Pomptine region, they gained no ground. The Germans counterattacked down the via Appia from the Alban hills in a front four miles wide, but could not retake Anzio. The battle lasted for four months, one side being supplied by sea, the other by land through Rome. In May 1944, the Allies broke out of Anzio and took
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. The German forces escaped to the north of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
.
1960 Summer Olympics
For the
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
, it served as part of the
men's marathon course that was won by
Abebe Bikila
''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila ( am, ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winnin ...
of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
.
Main sights
Via Appia antica
After the fall of the
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period ...
, the road fell out of use;
Pope Pius VI ordered its restoration. A new Appian Way was built in parallel with the old one in 1784 as far as the Alban Hills region. The new road is the ''Via Appia Nuova'' ("New Appian Way") as opposed to the old section, now known as ''Via Appia Antica''. The old Appian Way close to Rome is now a free tourist attraction. It was extensively restored for Rome's
Millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
and
Great Jubilee celebrations. The first are still heavily used by cars, buses and coaches but from then on traffic is very light and the ruins can be explored on foot in relative safety. The
Church of Domine Quo Vadis is in the second mile of the road. Along or close to the part of the road closest to Rome, there are three
catacombs of Roman and early
Christian origin and one of
Jewish origin.
The construction of Rome's ring road, the
Grande Raccordo Anulare
The GRA or Grande Raccordo Anulare (literally, "Great Ring Junction") is a toll-free, ring-shaped long orbital motorway that encircles Rome.
GRA is one of the most important roads in Rome, and traffic reaches 160,000 vehicles per day as of 20 ...
or GRA, in 1951 caused the Appian Way to be cut in two. More recent improvements to the GRA have rectified this through the construction of a tunnel under the Appia, so that it is now possible to follow the Appia on foot for about from its beginning near the
Baths of Caracalla
, alternate_name = it, Terme di Caracalla
, image = File:Baths of Caracalla, facing Caldarium.jpg
, caption = The baths as viewed from the south-west. The caldarium would have been in the front of the image
, coordinates = ...
.
Many parts of the original road beyond Rome's environs have been preserved, and some are now used by cars (for example, in the area of
Velletri
Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring comm ...
). The road inspires the last movement of
Ottorino Respighi's ''
Pini di Roma''. To this day the Via Appia contains the longest stretch of straight road in Europe,
totaling .
Monuments along the Via Appia
1st to 4th mile
* Porta Appia (
Porta San Sebastiano), the gate of the Aurelian Walls
*
Church of Domine Quo Vadis
*
Tomb of Priscilla
*
Catacomb of Callixtus
The Catacomb(s) of Callixtus (also known as the Cemetery of Callixtus) is one of the Catacombs of Rome on the Appian Way, most notable for containing the Crypt of the Popes ( Italian: ''Cappella dei Papi''), which once contained the tombs of sev ...
*
Hypogeum of Vibia
*
San Sebastiano fuori le mura
*
Catacombs of St Sebastian
*
Vigna Randanini Jewish catacombs
*
Circus of Maxentius
*
Tomb of Caecilia Metella
The Tomb of Caecilia Metella (Italian: ''Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella'') is a mausoleum located just outside Rome at the three mile marker of the Via Appia. It was built during the 1st century BC to honor Caecilia Metella, who was the daughter of ...
* Roman baths of
Capo di Bove
*
Tomb of Hilarus Fuscus
5th mile
* Mausoleum of the
Orazi and
Curiazi
*
Villa dei Quintili, with
nympheum, theatre, and baths
* Mausoleum of
Casal Rotondo
6th mile and beyond
* Minucia tomb
* Torre Selce
* Temple of Hercules
* ''Berrettia di Prete'' (tomb and later church)
* Mausoleum of
Gallienus
Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...
*
Tres Tabernae Three Taverns ( la, Tres Tabernae; , ''Treis Tabernai'') was a place on the ancient Appian Way, about 50 km (31 miles) from Rome, designed for the reception of travellers, as the name indicates.
History
Tres Tabernae originated as a post stat ...
* Villa of Publius Clodius Pulcher (in the Villa Santa Caterina, owned by the Pontifical North American College), 14th mile
* Villa of Pompey
Roman bridges along the road
There are the remains of several Roman bridges along the road, including the Ponte di Tre Ponti, Ponte di Vigna Capoccio, Viadotta di Valle Ariccia, Ponte Alto and Ponte Antico.
See also
*
Appian Way Regional Park
*
Park of the Caffarella
The Caffarella Park ( it, Parco della Caffarella) is a large park in Rome, Italy, protected from development. It is part of the ''Parco Regionale Appia Antica'' ( Appian Way Regional Park). The park is contained in the Caffarella Valley and is bo ...
which borders the northern side of the Appian Way
*
Roman bridge
The ancient Romans were the first civilization to build large, permanent bridges. Early Roman bridges used techniques introduced by Etruscan immigrants, but the Romans improved those skills, developing and enhancing methods such as arches and ...
*
Roman engineering
*
Three Taverns Three Taverns ( la, Tres Tabernae; , ''Treis Tabernai'') was a place on the ancient Appian Way, about 50 km (31 miles) from Rome, designed for the reception of travellers, as the name indicates.
History
Tres Tabernae originated as a post stat ...
*
The Pines of the Appian Way, a movement of
Ottorino Respighi's
tone poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...
''
Pines of Rome
''Pines of Rome'' ( it, Pini di Roma, link=no), P 141, is a tone poem in four movements for orchestra completed in 1924 by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. It is the second of his three tone poems about Rome, following ''Fontane di Roma'' ...
''
References
Bibliography
*Berechman, Joseph. 2003. "Transportation––Economic Aspects of Roman Highway Development: The Case of Via Appia." ''Transportation Research Part A'' 37, no. 5: 453–78.
*Coarelli, Filippo. 2007. ''Rome and environs: An archaeological guide.'' Translated by James J. Clauss and Daniel P. Harmon. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
*Della Portella, Ivana. 2004. ''The Appian Way: From Its Foundation to the Middle Ages.'' Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum.
*Dubbini, Rachele. 2016. "A New Republican Temple on the Via Appia, at the Borders of Rome's Urban Space." ''Journal of Roman Archaeology'' 29: 327–47.
*Kleijn, M. de, R. de Hond, and O. Martinez-Rubi. 2016. "A 3D Spatial Data Infrastructure for Mapping the Via Appia." ''Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage'' 3: 23–32.
*Magli, Giulio, Eugenio Realini, Mirko Reguzzoni, and Daniele Sampietro. 2014. "Uncovering a Masterpiece of Roman Engineering: The Project of Via Appia between Colle Pardo and Terracina." ''Journal of Cultural Heritage'' 15, no. 6: 665–69.
*Peterson, John. 2015. "Modelling Roman surveying in the Pontine plain." ''1st International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology Benevento, Italy, 22–23 October 2015'' 445–9.
*
*
*
External links
*
Appian Way Regional ParkIvana Della Portella, Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio, Francesca Ventre. The Appian Way: From Its Foundation to the Middle Ages. Los Angeles, 2004 (Google Books Preview).The Via Appia And The Cities Of The Pontine Plain*
ttps://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/arts/design/05appi.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=appian+way+rita&st=nyt&oref=slogin New York Times article on condition of Appian Way in modern timesOmnes Viae: Via Appia on the Tabula Peutingeriana* Robert Kaster'
excerpted from ''The Appian Way: Ghost Road, Queen of Roads''
{{Authority control
Venues of the 1960 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletics venues
Roman roads in Italy
Cemeteries and tombs in Rome
Roads in Italy
Transport in Lazio
Transport in Campania
Transport in Basilicata
Transport in Apulia
4th-century BC establishments in the Roman Republic
4th-century BC establishments in Italy
Rome Q. IX Appio-Latino
Rome Q. XX Ardeatino
Rome Q. XXVI Appio-Pignatelli
310s BC establishments