The Appian Way and the Egnation Way were sea and land routes. These two routs formed the Great East Road, which connected the Roman Empire and the Middle East. The Appian Way began in Rome at the miliarium aureum (Golden Milestone) and went south from Rome to Tarracina. It cut across the peninsula to Hydruntum (Otranto), Tarentum, and Brundisium. From the port of Hydruntum, travelers could take a sea route to either Dyrrhachium or Apollonia. From there the route crossed the Balkans to Thessalonica. From Thessalonica there were two routes that travelers could take, they could go south to Macedonia or they could go east hugging the coast all the way to Constantinople (Istanbul) or Gallipoli.
In 312 B.C. the Roman Caesar Claudius, who is credited for beginning the Appian Way, began construction of the southern route.[1] Claudius thought that it would be the benefit of Rome if it were to establish trade with the Mediterranean cultures in the south. A paved, well-maintained road made it easier for goods, people, and armies to travel through the empire. He oversaw the construction of the southern routes of the Appian Way. During the construction of the southern routes, the Romans experimented with different road building techniques. They used gravel to cover the 132-mile road between Rome and Capua. By 244 B.C. the Appian Way had reached the port of Hydruntum. The Appian Way brought traders, supplies, and colonists to southern Italy.[2]
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[2] Ibid., 36.
Written by Alex Boyce, 2003