- For Arabian road, see Via Traiana Nova
The Via Traiana was an ancient Roman road. The Via Traiana Nova (previously known as the King's Highway) was rebuilt by Trajan. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i. Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: Via Appia) was the most important ancient Roman road. Benevento is a town and Comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the Province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. Brindisi can also refer to a song in which a company is exhorted to drink such as the "Tea-Cup Brindisi" in Gilbert and Sullivan 's " The e. via Canusium, Butuntum and Barium rather than via Tarentum). Canosa should not be confused with Canossa in northern Italy Canosa di Puglia (or simply Canosa; Latin: Canusium Bitonto is a city and Comune in the Province of Bari ( Apulia region Italy. Bari ( Barium in Latin, Bàrion or Vàrion in Greek, Bare in Neapolitan Not to be confused with Toronto. Taranto ( Ancient Greek: Tarās; Modern Greek: Tarantas) is a coastal city in This was commemorated by an arch at Beneventum. [1]
Background
Via Traiana was constructed in 109 A. D. by Emperor Trajan at his own expense. It was built following the conclusion of conquest of Italy during a period of relative freedom from military campaigns. [1] Thus the Via Appia, from which Via Traiana was constructed as an extension, lost its original importance as a military highroad that connected Venusia and Tarentum. Furthermore, the maintenance of direct military communications between Venusia, the military colony of 291 B. C. , and Rome was no longer needed except in times of Civil War. In short, Via Appia simply became a means of reaching Brundisium. While cities such as Venusia that were once crucial for military communication and strategy lost their importance, Brundisium began to flourish. Brundisium became a major harbor through which soldiers, merchants and all manner of travelers took ship for Greece and the East. Understanding that faster speed is vital for transportation, there was a need for a shorter route to Beneventum from Brundisium other than Via Appia.
Route
Strabo indicates correctly that traveling to Beneventum from Brundisium through Via Traiana was a good day shorter than the old Republican road, Via Appia. [2] Although the actual measurement shows Via Appia to be 203 miles and Via Traiana 205 miles from Brundisium to Beneventum, the difference lies in their topography. There are a number of severe hills and difficult terrain along Via Appia until it reaches Venusia which is about 66 miles away from Beneventum. In contrast, although Via Traiana does encounter equally demanding passages as well in the first 40 miles from Beneventum, there is not another serious hill all the way to Brundisium. [3]
References
- ^ Via Traiana. "The Oxford Classical Dictionary. " 3rd ed. 2003.
- ^ Strabo. "Geography: Books 6-7. " Trans. Horace Leonard Jones. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.
- ^ The Via Traiana. "Papers of the British School at Rome," Vol. VIII, No. 5; pages 104-171. London: Macmillan & Co. , Limited, 1916.
1. Via Traiana. "The Oxford Classical Dictionary. " 3rd ed. 2003.
2. Strabo. "Geography: Books 6-7. " Trans. Horace Leonard Jones. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.
3. The Via Traiana. "Papers of the British School at Rome," Vol. VIII, No. 5; pages 104-171. London: Macmillan & Co. , Limited, 1916.
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