Via Traiana

The road in Egnazia
Location	Benevento toBrindisi
Type	Roman road
History
Builder	Trajan
Founded	109 AD
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Via Appia. Regina Viarum
Criteria	Cultural: iii, iv, vi
Reference	1708-018
Inscription	2024 (46thSession)

TheVia Traiana was an ancientRoman road. It was built by the emperorTrajan as an extension of theVia Appia fromBeneventum, reachingBrundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. viaCanusium,Butuntum andBarium rather than viaTarentum). This was commemorated by an arch atBeneventum.^[1]

Along with theVia Appia proper, since 2024 theVia [Appia] Traiana enteredUNESCO World Heritage List under the comprehensive name ofVia Appia Regina Viarum.^[2]

Via Traiana was constructed in 109 AD by Emperor Trajan at his own expense. It was built during a period of relative freedom from military campaigns.^[3] Thus theVia Appia, from whichVia Traiana was constructed as an extension, lost its original importance as a military highroad that connectedVenosa (Venusia) andTaranto (Tarentum). Furthermore, the maintenance of direct military communications between Venusia, themilitary colony of 291 BC, and Rome, was no longer needed except in times of civil war, and the Via Appia simply became a means of reachingBrindisi.

Strabo indicates correctly that traveling to Beneventum from Brundisium via the route of the laterVia Traiana was a good day shorter than the old Republican road,Via Appia.^[4] Although the actual measurement showsVia Appia to be 203 miles (327 km) and Via Traiana 205 miles (330 km) from Brundisium to Beneventum, the difference lies in their topography. There are a number of severe hills and difficult terrain along Via Appia until it reaches Venusia which is about 66 miles (106 km) away from Beneventum. In contrast, althoughVia Traiana does encounter equally demanding passages as well in the first 40 miles (64 km) from Beneventum, there is not another serious hill all the way to Brundisium.^[5]

There are the remains of several Roman bridges along the road, including the Ponte dei Ladroni, Ponte delle Chianche, Ponte Pietra, Ponte Rotto (acrossCarapelle river), Ponte Rotto (acrossCervaro river), Ponte sul Ofanto and Ponte Valentino.

• Roman bridge
• Roman engineering

Wikimedia Commons has media related toVia Traiana.

• Via Traiana. "The Oxford Classical Dictionary." 3rd ed. 2003.
• Strabo. "Geography: Books 6-7." Trans. Horace Leonard Jones. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.
• The Via Traiana. "Papers of the British School at Rome," Vol. VIII, No.5; pages 104-171. London: Macmillan & Co., Limited, 1916.

• Roman roads in Italy
• Trajan
• 2nd-century establishments in Italy
• 109 establishments
• 100s establishments in the Roman Empire

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Pages using infobox mapframe with missing coordinates
• Commons category link from Wikidata