Cannae (nowCanne della Battaglia,Italian pronunciation:[ˈkannedellabatˈtaʎʎa]) is an ancient village of theApulia region of south eastItaly. It is afrazione (civil parish) of thecomune (municipality) ofBarletta. Cannae was formerly abishopric, and is a Latin Catholictitular see (as of 2022).
The commune of Cannae is situated near the riverOfanto (ancient namesAufidus orCanna), on a hill on the right (i.e., south) bank, 9.6 kilometres (6 miles) southwest of its mouth, and9 km southwest ofBarletta.
It is primarily known for theBattle of Cannae, in which the numerically superior Roman army suffered a disastrous defeat byHannibal in 216 BC. There is a considerable controversy as to whether the battle took place on the right or the left bank of the river.[1]
In later times the place became amunicipium, and the remains of an unimportant Roman town still exist upon the hill known asMonte di Canne. In theMiddle Ages, probably after the destruction ofCanosa di Puglia in the 9th century, it became abishopric, and again saw military action in thesecond battle of Cannae, twelve centuries after the more famous one (1018). The Byzantinecatapan,Basilios Bojoannes, successfully drove off the invading Lombard and Norman army.[2] The town was wrecked in 1083 byRobert Guiscard, who left only the cathedral and bishop's residence,[3] and was ultimately destroyed in 1276.[1]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cannae".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 184.41°17′47″N16°09′06″E / 41.29639°N 16.15167°E /41.29639; 16.15167
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