The Ancient Road That Connected Rome With Byzantium

The past roadworthy that ran done bluish Greece and connected Rome to Byzantium. Credit: Berthold Werner via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Via Egnatia was an ancient Roman road that stretched crossed an awesome region betwixt the Adriatic seashore and Byzantium (modern time Istanbul) connected the Bosphorous Strait.  It was really a continuation of Via Appia, 1 of the earliest and strategically astir important roads of the past Roman republic which connected Rome with Brindisi.

Roman civilization is good known for its stunning mosaics and marble statues, but it was Rome’s precocious web of roads that allowed this civilization to thrive for centuries.

The Via Egnatia was the archetypal road to traverse the magnitude of the Balkan Peninsula and the archetypal roadworthy built extracurricular of Italy by the Romans.

Via Appia and Via Egnatia. Credit: wikimedia commons / Eric Gaba cc by 2.5

Construction

The Via Egnatia was built betwixt 146 and 120 BC by the Roman Senator Gnaeus Egnatius, who named the roadworthy aft himself. Egnatius became politician of the state of Macedonia shortly aft it had been conquered by the Romans successful 148 BC during the Fourth Macedonian War.

The roadworthy was astir 1,120 kilometers agelong though the easternmost portions of it whitethorn person been completed decades aft Egnatius governed Macedonia. Parts of the Via Egnatia whitethorn person been built implicit an earlier subject roadworthy betwixt Illyria and Byzantium.

The roadworthy would person been astir six meters wide. The Romans utilized surveying tools and beacons similar the “groma” to guarantee that their roads were consecutive and level. The way crossed mountains specified arsenic Candavia and indispensable person posed important challenges to Roman engineers.

A information of the Via Egnatia roadworthy moving done Philippi. Credit: Carole Raddato via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Via Egnatia route

The Via Egnatia way connected respective important cities successful Northern Greece, Illyria, and Thrace. It would person been an important way for traders and the Roman legions successful the region.

At the westernmost extremity of the Via Egnatia was Dyrrhachium successful Illyria (modern time Albania). Together with the adjacent Greek polis (city) of Apollonia, Dyrrhachium was an important commercialized hub on the Adriatic.

The roadworthy connected salient municipality centers including Thessaloniki, Amphipolis, Philippi, Neapolis, Kypsela, and Pella, the birthplace of Alexander the Great and erstwhile superior of the Kingdom of Macedon.

At the eastbound extremity of the Via Egnatia was the metropolis of Byzantium. The already important roadworthy would person go an adjacent much important way aft 330 AD, erstwhile Emperor Constantine renamed the metropolis aft himself and pronounced Constantinople the superior of the Roman Empire.

Civic improvement successful Northern Greece continued good into the Byzantine era. A triumphal arch called the Golden Gate was built successful Constantinople wherever the Via Egnatia led into the city. Victorious Byzantine emperors would pb a triumphal procession on the roadworthy and past the Golden Gate into the metropolis aft palmy military campaigns.

Important events

The Via Egnatia dictated entree to a fig of important strategical locations. As a result, respective battles were fought implicit power of the road.

In 84 BC, the Roman wide Sulla pursued the service of Mithridates VI Eupataor on the Via Egnatia. Later, successful 48 BC, Caesar defeated Pompey’s legions and took power of the roadworthy astatine the Battle of Dyrrachium. In yet different Roman civilian war, Mark Anthony and Octavian fought the forces of Brutus and Cassius, who had fled Rome aft assassinating Caesar.

Paul the Apostle traveled on the Via Egnatia during his missionary journeys to Greece. Saint Paul preached successful galore cities connected by the road, including Thessaloniki, Philippi, and Amphipolis.

Legacy of the Via Egnatia

Today, the modern Egnatia Odos A2 Motorway connects the occidental larboard of Igoumenitsa successful Thesprotia (Northwestern Greece) to the eastbound Greek–Turkish borderline astatine Kipoi. It runs parallel to the archetypal Via Egnatia.

Parts of the past Roman roadworthy are inactive utilized arsenic secondary roads successful modern time Greece.