Editing Appian Way (section)

== Notable historical events along the road ==

=== Crucifixion of Spartacus's army ===
{{Further|Third Servile War}}
[[File:Viatraiana-egnaziartp.jpg|thumb|Emperor [[Trajan]] built a deviation of Via Appia. This is a tract of Via Appia Traiana near [[Gnatia|Egnatia]].]]
[[File:"Brundisium" (Heute Brindisi) wurde im Jahr 266 v. Chr. von den Römern erobert. 05.jpg|thumb|The column in [[Brindisi]], marking the end of the Via Appia]]
In 73&nbsp;BC, a slave revolt (known as the [[Third Servile War]]) under the ex-gladiator of Capua, [[Spartacus]], began against the Romans. Slaves accounted for roughly every third person in Italy.

Spartacus defeated many Roman armies in a conflict that lasted for over two years. While trying to escape from Italy at [[Brindisi|Brundisium]] he unwittingly moved his forces into the historic trap at [[Apulia]] in [[Calabria]].{{clarify|date=May 2021}} The Romans were well acquainted with the region. Legions were brought home from abroad and Spartacus was pinned between armies. The ex-slave army was defeated at the [[Sele (river)|Siler River]] by [[Marcus Licinius Crassus]]. [[Pompey]]'s armies captured and killed several thousand rebels that escaped from the battle and Crassus captured several thousand more. The Romans judged that the slaves had forfeited their right to live. In 71&nbsp;BC, 6,000 slaves were [[crucifixion|crucified]] along the {{convert|200|km|sp=us|adj=on}} Via Appia from Rome to Capua.<ref>[[Appian]], ''Civil Wars'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Appian/Civil_Wars/1*.html#120 1.120].</ref>

=== World War II,  Battle of Anzio ===
{{Main article|Battle of Anzio}}
In 1943, during [[World War II]], the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] fell into the same trap Pyrrhus had retreated to avoid, in the [[Pontine Marshes|Pomptine fields]], the successor to the [[Pontine Marshes]]. The marsh remained, despite many efforts to drain it, until engineers working for [[Benito Mussolini]] finally succeeded (even so, the fields were infested with [[malaria]]l [[Mosquito|mosquitos]] until the advent of [[DDT]] in the 1950s).

Hoping to break a stalemate at [[Monte Cassino]], the Allies landed on the coast of Italy at the [[Anzio]]-[[Nettuno]] area – ancient [[Antium]] – which was midway between [[Ostia Antica|Ostia]] and [[Terracina]]. They found that the place was undefended. They intended to move along the line of the Via Appia to take Rome, outflanking Monte Cassino, but they did not do so quickly enough. The Germans occupied Mounts Laziali and Lepini along the track of the old Via Latina, from which they rained down shells on Anzio. Even though the Allies expanded into all the Pomptine region, they gained no ground. The Germans counterattacked down the via Appia from the Alban hills in a front four miles wide, but could not retake Anzio. The battle lasted for four months, one side being supplied by sea, the other by land through Rome. In May 1944, the Allies broke out of Anzio and took [[Rome]]. The German forces escaped to the north of [[Florence]].

===1960 Summer Olympics===
During the [[1960 Summer Olympics]], the Via Appia was part of the course of the [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics|men's marathon]]. The event was won by [[Abebe Bikila]] of [[Ethiopia at the 1960 Summer Olympics|Ethiopia]].<ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1960/OR1960v1.pdf 1960 Summer Olympics official report.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031012134/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1960/OR1960v1.pdf |date=31 October 2008 }} Vol. 1. pp. 80–81.</ref><ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1960/OR1960v2pt1.pdf 1960 Summer Olympics official report.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527211502/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1960/OR1960v2pt1.pdf |date=27 May 2008 }} Vol. 2. Part 1. pp. 117–118.</ref>