Cannae

Cannae (mod. Canne), an ancient village of Apulia, near the river Aufidus, situated on a hill on the right bank, 9.6 km (6 miles) southwest from its mouth.

It is celebrated for the Battle of Cannae, in which the Romans were defeated 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 unimportant Roman remains still exist upon the hill known as Monte di Canne. in the middle ages it became a bishopric, but was destroyed in 1276.

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.