November 10, 2018 - This bucolic image of Colleen walking by a small road is much more than it appears. This road is the original Appian Way. It was started in 312 BC and ran pretty much in a straight line from Rome to Capua, a town just south of Pompeii today. It was the wonder of it’s era and insured fast direct travel to Rome from the South for over 100 miles. Before it was done it would stretch over 320 miles.
Capua was best known as a training ground for gladiators. Slaves were brought there, trained to some degree and shipped out to provide entertainment across the Empire. One of the best known was a gladiator from Thrace (Present day Bulgaria) named Spartacus.
The 1960 Kirk Douglas film was very inaccurate, as you might imagine. But Spartacus did lead a successful slave revolt starting in Capua for almost two years. He was eventually caught and killed in a battle in 71 BC. But, despite the Romans’ efforts, they were never able to find his body which added much to his legend. Almost everyone was slaughtered but 6,000 of his men.
So to make an example of them the Romans, along the very road shown in the photograph, crucified every one of them. They were about 30 yards apart all the way from Capua to the gates of Rome. They left them there to rot for months. It is hard to imagine the horrific scene along this road as visitors came to the city.
Today, cars still use the road and it is lined with villas, ruins, catacombs, and gelato shops.
And just for the curiosity factor, there is a small chapel here where Jesus appeared to a group after his resurrection. So they have his footprints.
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