The Appian Way, or Via Appia, was one of the earliest and most important roads of ancient Rome. It was begun in 312 BCE by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus, who gave it his name, to link Rome with Capua so that troops could be sent to the south during the wars against the Samnites. It was later extended to Brundisium on the Adriatic coast, the port for ships to Greece and the East. The Romans called it the queen of roads, and it was carefully paved with large stone blocks. Along its edge stand tombs and catacombs, and after the revolt of Spartacus thousands of his followers were crucified along it. Parts survive today as a regional park.
Before and after
- from 322 BCE to 185 BCEMaurya empire
- 322 BCEDeath of Aristotle
- c. 320 BCERise of pyrrhonism
- 313 BCEThe Appian Way and the first Roman aqueduct
- 312 BCEConstruction of Appian Way
- from 312 BCE to 63 BCESeleucid Empire
- from 311 BCE to 309 BCEBabylonian War
- from 306 BCE to 168 BCEAntigonid dynasty
- from 305 BCE to 30 BCEPtolemaic dynasty
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- c. 1,274 BCEConstruction of Abu Simbel
- from 8th century BCE to 3rd centuryClassical antiquity
- from 351 BCE to 1494Construction of Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- 248 BCEConstruction of Terracotta Army
- 200 BCEOrigins of Nazca Lines
- from 375 CE to 568 CEMigration Period
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 4th century BCE.