pictured above: the Appian Way as it is today
(note: I have not included an artists impression of the road itself, as it is largely intact and no reconstruction is required, but have included some artists impressions of the sites along it)
(note: I have not included an artists impression of the road itself, as it is largely intact and no reconstruction is required, but have included some artists impressions of the sites along it)
"Appia teritur regina longarum viarum." The Appian way is the queen of the long roads.
- Statius
The Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) was the first great consular road, and linked Rome with the south of Italy. Building was commenced in 312 BCE by the Consul Appius Claudius Caecus, after whom it was named. Alongside the road are many monuments and tombs, as it was the custom to build such things to impress visitors to the urbs (city). It is the longest straight road in Europe, with a total length of 565 kilometres.
pictured above: some of the key sites along the Appian Way in Rome, and the full length and path of the road across Italy
Alongside the Via Appia, many monuments and tombs were built that can still be seen today. In the first 4 miles of the road, the main sites are:
- Tomb of Priscilla (pictured below; the site as it is today)
- Circus of Maxentius (pictured below; an artists impression of the site, and the site as it is today)
- Tomb of Caecilia Metella (pictured below; an artists impression of the site, and the site as it is today)
The Appian Way was incredibly important to the Ancient Romans, as many of their main thoroughfares were. This via (road) would have made it much easier for people to travel across the country, and allowed access to the east. It would have also led to an expansion in trade, as people would have been able to utilise the length of the road to get products and wares where they had not been able to get them before. It was also an important factor in Roman warfare, as it allowed faster travel of military forces and miles (soldiers). The Roman's wouldn't have been able to expand their influence as much as they did without the use of roads, and the Appian Way would have played a major role in the lives of the Ancient Romans.
Authors comment:
I think this road and all the monuments and buildings alongside it are a tribute to the outstanding architecture of the Romans, especially considering how much of the road is intact in comparison to how long it has been used for. I think taking a bike ride down the Via Appia would be especially wonderful, or even walking part of the way, and would love to do just that someday.