Transportation is one of the major challenges of the 20th and 21st centuries. Both the United States and Germany built the interstate and the Autobahn respectively with the intent of easily mobilizing troops across the nation, and the same is true of Rome’s great road, the Via Appia.
The road was commissioned by a Roman statesmen, Appius Claudius Caecus, in 312 BC with the interest of making it easier for the Roman army to cross the Pontine Marshes (a great military obstacle). Once the potential of the road was realized, it was said to be “for soldiers, for nobles, and for the most celebrated kingdom” (insignis, nobilis, celeberrima, regina viarum). This saying became the unofficial slogan of the Via Appia through its constant use by the Roman military. The road served to expand Rome’s power through its continued expansion of thirty five miles during the third Samnite war. After nearly 100 years of expansion, the road stretched a whopping 347 miles across Italy.
The road not only helped Rome to defend Italy from external threats, but served to intimidate those who would have unrest. After the the slave rebellion led by Spartacus, 6000 rebels were crucified across a 124 mile stretch - that's one every 14 feet!
But more than anything, the road was a popular avenue for recreational transportation and migration of goods by merchants. The Appian Way was also the setting for famous Roman writers such as in Horace’s Satires. In this work, he explains the congested condition of the road and often references the “boatmen and innkeepers” to detail the job occupations that were available to many Romans because of the road’s presence.
The road remains a popular destination today and was even included in the 1960 summer Olympics marathon course. So if you find yourself in Rome you will net regret the 300+ mile trip down memory lane.
Don’t Miss!
Porta Appia (gate of the Aurelian Walls)
The gate, a brick structure with turrets, still stands and has been restored to good condition. Modern traffic flows under it. Inside and upstairs is a museum dedicated to the construction of the walls and their recent restoration.
The road was commissioned by a Roman statesmen, Appius Claudius Caecus, in 312 BC with the interest of making it easier for the Roman army to cross the Pontine Marshes (a great military obstacle). Once the potential of the road was realized, it was said to be “for soldiers, for nobles, and for the most celebrated kingdom” (insignis, nobilis, celeberrima, regina viarum). This saying became the unofficial slogan of the Via Appia through its constant use by the Roman military. The road served to expand Rome’s power through its continued expansion of thirty five miles during the third Samnite war. After nearly 100 years of expansion, the road stretched a whopping 347 miles across Italy.
The road not only helped Rome to defend Italy from external threats, but served to intimidate those who would have unrest. After the the slave rebellion led by Spartacus, 6000 rebels were crucified across a 124 mile stretch - that's one every 14 feet!
But more than anything, the road was a popular avenue for recreational transportation and migration of goods by merchants. The Appian Way was also the setting for famous Roman writers such as in Horace’s Satires. In this work, he explains the congested condition of the road and often references the “boatmen and innkeepers” to detail the job occupations that were available to many Romans because of the road’s presence.
The road remains a popular destination today and was even included in the 1960 summer Olympics marathon course. So if you find yourself in Rome you will net regret the 300+ mile trip down memory lane.
Don’t Miss!
Porta Appia (gate of the Aurelian Walls)
The gate, a brick structure with turrets, still stands and has been restored to good condition. Modern traffic flows under it. Inside and upstairs is a museum dedicated to the construction of the walls and their recent restoration.
The Roman Bath’s of Capo di Bove
The area contains the thermal baths of a vast property owned in the 2nd century AD by Herodes Atticus and his wife Annia Regilla. The excavations, which can be visited daily free of charge, revealed thermal baths dating back to the middle of the 2nd century.
The Circus of Mexentius
The Circus itself is the best preserved of all Roman circuses, and is second only in size to the Circus Maximus in Rome. The only games recorded at the circus were its inaugural ones and these are generally thought to have been funerary in character.
The tomb of Cecelia Metella
Located at the top of a hill on the Appian Way, the tomb dominates the surrounding landscape. Atop a quadrangular base seven meters high, it consists of a cylindrical body 11 meters in height, with a diameter of 29 meters; this is surmounted by fortifications added during the medieval period.
The area contains the thermal baths of a vast property owned in the 2nd century AD by Herodes Atticus and his wife Annia Regilla. The excavations, which can be visited daily free of charge, revealed thermal baths dating back to the middle of the 2nd century.
The Circus of Mexentius
The Circus itself is the best preserved of all Roman circuses, and is second only in size to the Circus Maximus in Rome. The only games recorded at the circus were its inaugural ones and these are generally thought to have been funerary in character.
The tomb of Cecelia Metella
Located at the top of a hill on the Appian Way, the tomb dominates the surrounding landscape. Atop a quadrangular base seven meters high, it consists of a cylindrical body 11 meters in height, with a diameter of 29 meters; this is surmounted by fortifications added during the medieval period.
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