ahencyclopedia:PLACES IN THE ANCIENT WOLRD: Brundisium/Brindisi (Italy) BRUNDISIUM (modern Brindisi)
ahencyclopedia:PLACES IN THE ANCIENT WOLRD: Brundisium/Brindisi (Italy) BRUNDISIUM (modern Brindisi), located on the Adriatic coast of southern Italy, was a Messapian and then Roman town of great strategic importance throughout antiquity. Although architectural remains are sparse, the city has several claims to fame. Brundisium is the end of the road for the Appian Way, was a traditional launching point for armies and travellers to the East, and played a pivotal role in both the Punic wars and Roman civil wars. Amongst its more impressive artefacts are many examples of Hellenistic and Roman bronze statuary which have been rescued from the town’s harbour. The area of Brindisi was inhabited in Palaeolithic times some 12,000 years ago and the site of Torre Testa just 7 km to the north was the most important settlement in the region at that time. Thousands of stone tools and other artefacts have been discovered which belonged to the hunter-gatherers of the period. A continued presence in the Neolithic period and Bronze Age is attested by additional finds. Read More -- source link