Cannae

Remains of Cannae.

For the battle, see Battle of Cannae.

For the metalcore band, see Cannae (band).

Cannae (now Canne della Battaglia) is an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Barletta.

Geography

It is situated near the river Aufidus (the modern Ofanto), on a hill on the right (i.e., south) bank, 9.6 kilometers (6 mi) southwest from its mouth, and 9 km southwest from Barletta.

History

It is primarily known for the Battle of Cannae, in which the numerically superior Roman army suffered a disastrous defeat by Hannibal in 216 BC (see Punic Wars). There is a considerable controversy as to whether the battle took place on the right or the left bank of the river.

In later times the place became a municipium, and remains of an unimportant Roman town still exist upon the hill known as Monte di Canne. In the Middle Ages, probably after the destruction of Canosa di Puglia in the 9th century, it became a bishopric, and again saw military action in the second battle of Cannae, twelve centuries after the more famous one (1018). The town was destroyed in 1083 by Robert Guiscard, who left only the cathedral and bishop's residence,^[1] and was ultimately destroyed in 1276. Saint Roger of Cannae (c. 1060 - 1138) was the most notable of the bishops.^[2][3] Its territory was added to the see of Trani in 1818,^[4] and the diocese of Cannae is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.^[5]

See also

• Battle of Cannae (216 BC)
• Battle of Cannae (1018)
• Battle of Montemaggiore

References

1. Catholic Encyclopedia
2. Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, pp. 865-866
3. Konrad Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, vol. 1, p. 162; vol. 2, p. 117
4. Bolla De utiliori, in Bullarii romani continuatio, Vol. XV, Rome 1853, pp. 56-61
5. Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 857

Bibliography

• Hammond, N.G.L. & Scullard, H.H. (Eds.) (1970). The Oxford Classical Dictionary (p. 201). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-869117-3.
• Berry, Small, Talbert, Elliott, Gillies, Becker, 'Cannae' in Pleiades Gazetteer: http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/442523
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cannae". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Coordinates: 41°17′47″N 16°09′06″E / 41.29639°N 16.15167°E