Via Appia. Regina Viarum

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The Appian Way: A Journey Through Time - *Regina Viarum*

The Appian Way, officially known as *Via Appia*, holds a significant place in history as the oldest and most important of the great roads constructed by the Ancient Romans. Inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024, this remarkable structure spans more than 800 kilometers, connecting Rome to Brindisi in southeast Italy.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

More than 800 kilometres long, the Via Appia is the oldest and most important of the great roads built by the Ancient Romans. Constructed and developed from 312 BCE to the 4th century CE, it was originally conceived as a strategic road for military conquest, advancing towards the East and Asia Minor. The Via Appia later enabled the cities it connected to grow and new settlements emerged, facilitating agricultural production and trade. This property, composed of 19 component parts, is a fully developed ensemble of engineering works, illustrating the advanced technical skill of Roman engineers in the construction of roads, civil engineering projects, infrastructure and sweeping land reclamation works, as well as a vast series of monumental structures including, for example, triumphal arches, baths, amphitheatres and basilicas, aqueducts, canals, bridges, and public fountains.

Encyclopedia Record: Appian Way

The Appian Way is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, recorded by Statius, of Appia longarum... regina viarum. The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who, during the Samnite Wars, began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC.

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