Via Egnatia

Route of the Via Egnatia.

This article is about an ancient road. For the modern road by the same name, see Egnatia Odos (modern road). For the ancient Roman road of the same name see Via Egnatia. For Thessaloniki street see Egnatia Street.

The Via Egnatia (Greek: Ἐγνατία Ὁδός) was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It crossed the Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thrace, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey. The Roman province of Illyricum replaced the formerly independent kingdom of Illyria. The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. The Republic of Macedonia (Република Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches

Starting at Dyrrachium (now Durrës) on the Adriatic Sea, the road followed a difficult route along the river Genusus (Shkumbin), over the Candaviae mountains and thence to the highlands around Lake Ohrid. The Shkumbin ( Albanian indefinite form the definite form is Shkumbini, occasionally spelled Skumbi in English is a River in central Albania Lake Ohrid (Охридско Езеро transliterated: Ohridsko Ezero; Liqeni i Ohrit straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern region of the It then turned south, following several high mountain passes to reach the northern coastline of the Aegean Sea at Thessalonica. Etymology In ancient times there were various explanations for the name Aegean. Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia From there it ran through Thrace to the city of Byzantium (now Istanbul). This article is about the city See also Byzantine Empire. Byzantium ( Greek: Βυζάντιον Latin: la BYZANTIVM Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey ^[1] It covered a total distance of about 1,120 km (696 miles / 746 Roman miles). Like other major Roman roads, it was about six metres (19. 6 ft) wide, paved with large polygonal stone slabs or covered with a hard layer of sand. ^[2]

1 Construction
2 Post-Roman usage
3 Key towns along the Via Egnatia
4 Further reading
5 References

Construction

The main literary sources for the construction of the road are Strabo's Geographica and a number of milestones found along the route's length, marking the road for a length of 535 miles as far as the border between Macedonia and Thrace at the river Hebrus (Maritsa). Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. The Geographica ( Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά Geōgraphiká) or Geography, is a 17-volume encyclopedia of geographical knowledge written The Maritsa or Evros (Марица Εβρος Romanized as Hebrus, Meriç is with a length of 480 km the longest river that runs solely in the interior Bilingual inscriptions on the milestones record that Gnaeus Egnatius, proconsul of Macedonia, ordered its construction, though the exact date is uncertain; the road presumably took its name from its builder. Gnaeus Egnatius was a Proconsul during the Roman Republic. He built the eponymous Via Egnatia which was begun in 146 BCE and completed in Ancient Rome In the Roman Republic, a proconsul was a Promagistrate (like a Propraetor) who after serving as Consul, spent a year ^[3] It may have succeeded an earlier military road from Illyria to Byzantium, as described by Polybius and Cicero, which the Romans apparently built over and/or improved. Polybius (ca 203 &ndash 120 BC, Greek) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his book called The Histories Marcus Tullius Cicero ( Classical Latin ˈkikeroː usually ˈsɪsərəʊ in English January 3, 106 BC &ndash December 7, 43 BC was a Roman ^[4]

The Via Egnatia was constructed in order to link a chain of Roman colonies stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Bosphorus. The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (İstanbul Boğazı (Βόσπορος is a Strait that forms the boundary between the The termini of the Via Egnatia and the Via Appia, leading from Rome itself, were almost directly opposite each other on the east and west shores of the Adriatic Sea. The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: Via Appia) was the most important ancient Roman road. The route thus gave the colonies of the southern Balkans a direct connection to Rome. It was also a vital link to Roman territories further to the east; until a more northerly route across Illyria was opened under Augustus it was Rome's main link with her empire in the eastern Mediterranean. Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was It was repaired and expanded several times but experienced lengthy periods of neglect due to Rome's civil wars.

The road played a vital role in several key moments in Roman history: the armies of Julius Caesar and Pompey marched along the Via Egnatia during Caesar's civil war, and during the Liberators' civil war Mark Antony and Octavian pursued Cassius and Brutus along the Via Appia to their fateful meeting at the Battle of Philippi. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation The Roman civil war of 49 BC sometimes called Caesar's Civil War, is one of the last conflicts within the Roman Republic. The Liberators' civil war was started by the Second Triumvirate to avenge Julius Caesar 's murder Marcus Antonius (in Latin: M·ANTONIVS·M·F·M·N ( c January 14 83 BC&ndash August 1, 30 BC known in English as Mark Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was For the Roman consul see Gaius Cassius Longinus (consul 171 BC. Marcus Junius Brutus (85&ndash42 BC or Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (the Second Triumvirate Surviving milestones record that the emperor Trajan undertook extensive repairs of the road prior to his campaign of 113 against the Parthians. Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran However, by the fifth century AD the road had largely fallen into disuse as a result of violent instability in the region. ^[3] A fifth-century historian noted that the western sections of the Via Egnatia were in such a poor state that travellers could barely pass along it. ^[5]

Post-Roman usage

In later years, the Via Egnatia was revived as a key road of the Byzantine Empire; Procopius records repairs made by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I during the sixth century, though even then the dilapidated road was said to be virtually unusable during wet weather. Procopius of Caesarea ( Προκόπιος ο Καισαρεύς, c Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or ^[5] Almost all Byzantine overland trade with western Europe traveled along the Via Egnatia. During the Crusades, armies traveling to the east by land followed the road to Constantinople before crossing into Asia Minor. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black In the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, control of the road was vital for the survival of the Latin Empire as well as the Byzantine successor states the Empire of Nicaea and the Despotate of Epirus. The Fourth Crusade (1202&ndash1204 was originally designed to conquer Muslim Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople (original Latin name Imperium Romaniae, " Empire of Romania " is the The Empire of Nicaea ( Greek: Βασίλειον τῆς Νίκαιας Turkish: İznik İmparatorluğu) was the largest of the Byzantine The Principality of Epirus can also refer to the pashalik of Ali Pasha The Despotate or Principality of Epirus (Δεσποτάτο της

A modern highway, Egnatia Odos, runs in parallel with the Via Egnatia between Thessaloniki and the Turkish border on the Evros river. For the ancient Roman road of the same name see Via Egnatia. For Thessaloniki street see Egnatia Street. Its name means "Via Egnatia" in Greek, alluding to its ancient predecessor. ^[6]

Key towns along the Via Egnatia

(listed from west to east)

Ancient name	Modern name	Modern country
Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos	Durrës	Albania
Claudiana	Peqin	Albania
Apollonia	Beside the village of Pojani (7 km W. This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. of Fier)	Albania
Masio Scampa	Elbasan	Albania
Lychnidos	Ohrid	Republic of Macedonia
Heraclea Lyncestis	Bitola	Republic of Macedonia
Florina	Florina	Greece
Edessa	Edessa	Greece
Pella	Pella	Greece
Thessalonica	Thessaloniki	Greece
Pydna	Might be the village of Kitros, 6 km S-W of modern Pydna	Greece
Amphipolis	Amfipoli	Greece
Philippi	14 km N-W of Kavala	Greece
Neapolis	Kavala	Greece
Traianoupolis	Traianoupoli	Greece
Kypsela	İpsala	Turkey
Aenus	Enez	Turkey
Aproi (a. Fieri ( Albanian: Fier or Fieri) is a City in southwest Albania, in the district Elbasan ( Albanian: Elbasan or Elbasani) is a City in central Albania. Ohrid (Охрид) is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. The Republic of Macedonia (Република Heraclea Lyncestis also spelled Herakleia Lynkestis, ( Ancient Greek Ἡράκλεια Λυγκηστίς) was an ancient Greek city Bitola (Битола; known also by several alternative names) is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. Flórina (Φλώρινα local Slavic: Лерин Lerin; known also by several alternative names) is a town in mountainous northwestern Macedonia Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Edessa (Έδεσσα Édessa, ˈe̞ðe̞sa local Slavic: Voden) is an ancient town of 25000 inhabitants in Central part of Macedonia Pella (Πέλλα was the Capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia Pydna is also a rocket station of the American Army in Germany, see Pydna (rocket station Pydna (in Greek: Amphipolis (Ἀμφίπολις &ndash Amphípolis) was an ancient Greek city in the region once inhabited by the Edoni people Amphipolis (Ἀμφίπολις &ndash Amphípolis) was an ancient Greek city in the region once inhabited by the Edoni people Philippi (in Greek / Philippoi) was a city in eastern Macedonia, in northern Ancient Greece, founded by Philip II in 356 Kavala (Καβάλα is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal Seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala prefecture Kavala (Καβάλα is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal Seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala prefecture Traianoupoli (Τραϊανούπολη is a municipality in the Evros Prefecture, Greece. İpsala is a city and district of Edirne Province of Turkey. It is the location of one of the main border points between Greece and Turkey Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Aenus (Αἶνος modern Enez in Turkey, was an ancient city on the southeastern coast of Thrace. Enez is a district of Edirne Province, Turkey, as well as the name of the center-town of the district Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches k. a. Apros, Apris, Aprī,. . . )	Village of Kermeyan	Turkey
Perinthus, later Heraclea	Village of Marmaraereğlisi	Turkey
Rhegion	Küçük Çekmece, 15 km W. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Marmara Ereğli is a town and district of Tekirdağ Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. Marmara Ereğli is a town and district of Tekirdağ Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches of Istanbul	Turkey
Adrianople	Edirne	Turkey
Caenophrurium	Çorlu	Turkey
Melantias	site unknown	Turkey
Byzantium, later Constantinople	Istanbul	Turkey

References

^ Richard J. A. Talbert, Barrington atlas of the Greek and Roman world: Map-by-map Directory, p. 749. Princeton University Press, 2000. ISBN 0691049459
^ Elena Koytcheva, "Logistical problems for the movement of the early crusaders through the Balkans: transport and road systems", p. 54 in Proceedings of the 21st International Congress of Byzantine Studies, ed. Elizabeth Jeffreys. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, 2006. ISBN 075465740X
^ ^a ^b G. H. R. Horsley, New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity, p. 81. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1982. ISBN 0802845118
^ Ben Witherington III, 1 and 2 Thesssalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, fn. 11 p. 3. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0802828361.
^ ^a ^b John F. Haldon, Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, p. 54. Routledge, 1999. ISBN 185728495X.
^ See the website of Egnatia Odos S.A., the company responsible for building the road.

Roman Empire | Roman roads

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Dictionary

-proper noun

(historical) A Roman road running across the Balkan peninsula, from Dyrrachium to Byzantium.

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