ROME – It’s a question that hasn’t been answered for some time: where exactly did the Via Appia begin, the ancient Roman road so famous as to be known as the “regina viarum” or queen of roads?
Remnants of the original Appian Way, named after Appius Claudius, the Roman consul, and begun in 312 BC, can still be seen (and make for a lovely walk) within Rome.
But the vestiges of the call first mile they remain buried 8 meters below the street level of contemporary Rome.
In July, a group of archaeologists began the search for the lost starting point of the Via Appia by excavating a site in front of a row of ancient shops – still visible – which formed part of the monumental entrance to the baths which the emperor caracalla built in 211.
By digging into the millenary history of Rome, archaeologists and historians have collected a wealth of information and data to be destroyed.
They found traces of the farmland and vineyards that occupied this area for more than 1,000 years, until Rome rapidly modernized and expanded after it was named the capital of Italy in 1870.
And they’ve unearthed the remains of a 10th-century street and even older buildings, finds that suggest that from the 6th century to the early Middle Ages this was a busy neighbourhood.
Archaeologists believe the structures could have been tents that served pilgrims stopping at Christian places which are believed to have arisen in the area at that time.
“Urban excavations provide fundamental information for better understanding the topography of an area in different periods”, explains Mirella Serlorenzi, scientific director of the excavation, which was conducted by the Special Superintendency of Rome, reporting to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and by the Roma Tre University.
But the excavation was hampered – and ultimately paralyzed – by a powerful flood groundwater that not even modern pumps could keep up with.
“Unfortunately, due to the water table, we cannot continue digging,” explains Serlorenzi, who is also director of the Baths of Caracalla.
He pointed to a stretch of earth dug with a wide fissure through which a large jet of water gushed.
“We ran the risk of losing knowledge and information,” he said, so excavations stopped when archaeologists reached a level about 1.5 meters above street level in Roman times.
«It was an extremely complex excavation», echoed Riccardo Santangeli Valenzani, professor of medieval archeology at Roma Tre who worked on the site every day.
The location was selected on the basis of a series of preliminary studies started in 2018, using funds from the European Union.
And initial evidence suggests archaeologists may be on the right track.
Ancient sources report that nearby Septimius Severus, emperor from 193 to 211, had a wider road built – 100 Roman feet wide – to accommodate the growing Roman population.
Known as the Via Nuova, the causeway is marked on the Forma Urbis Romae, the large 3rd-century marble plan of Rome.
Archaeologists continue to debate the interconnection between the Via Nova and the Via Appia:
whether they were next to each other, whether the Nova was positioned directly above the older layout, or whether Septimius simply widened the Via Appia to create the Nova.
The walls of the shops found in the current excavation are about 30 meters – or 100 Roman feet – from the shops still visible in front of the Baths of Caracalla, which means that the roadway that passed through them would correspond to the width exactly from Via Nova.
Thus, there are compelling indications that a causeway existed at the excavation site, “but we still can’t say whether it was the Appian Way or not,” Serlorenzi said.
New excavations will depend on the fact financing.
The artifacts unearthed during the excavations indicate many centuries of occupation, including pottery from various periods, a marble head of a child dating from the 3rd century, tiny bronze coins from the Roman era which archaeologists have described as “little “. a more valuable square coin minted between 690 and 730, a time when papal power was rising in Rome.
The excavation was the subject of periodic reports for the general public, who were able to follow its progress through a Facebook page.
Specialists could consult more detailed reports on a government website.
Professor Santangeli Valenzani underlined that the water problem has been known since ancient times, when the area was known as “public swimming pool”.
Before Caracalla built his baths here, two other emperors had also built bath structures in the area.
“The water problem got worse when they stopped maintaining local sewers in the fifth century,” he said.
This month, the entire Via Appia – the 341 kilometers that separate Rome from Brindisi, a city on Italy’s southeast coast – was nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This excavation is very good for the candidacy,” said Daniela Porro, Rome’s special superintendent.
It’s also good for the city, experts say.
“One of the merits of this excavation is that it sheds light on an area where Roman history is stratified,” says Daniele Manacorda, a retired archeology professor at Roma Tre who has thoroughly investigated the elusive first mile.
“It’s a stretch that thousands of people cross every day, distracted driving their car. They probably have no idea where they are.”
c.2023 The New York Times Society
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.