(Albert Einstein)
Appia Antica. ROME – 6 February 2021 |
Construction work began in 312 BC.
at the behest of the censor Appio Claudio Cieco. The construction works
continued during the second half of the third century BC, when Tarentum
(Taranto) was reached, and then until around 190 BC, when the route to the port
of Brundisium (Brindisi) was completed.
Created with the intention of
facilitating the rapid movement of troops towards the south, this great artery
ended up becoming the main link between Rome and Magna Grecia.
Not only soldiers and goods trains
walked on large stones but also Greek culture, language, literature and
philosophy.
And what stones....
It makes a certain impression to
walk on these smooth stones from feet and time. Like letters stuck in the earth
to remind us of human ingenuity.
Because the rain made travel
inaccessible, therefore its gravel pavement (glareatum) allowed it to
move during any season: rainwater drained between the channels of the space
between the stones.
Starting from 258 BC (intervention
by the Ogulni brothers) steps were taken to gradually equip the road with a
more advanced pavement, with large smooth stones of volcanic stone (basoli),
made to match at the moment of laying. The basolato paving then became
the standard for the establishment of the extensive road network of the Roman
world.
What fascinates me most is seeing the slow mixing of nature and man's work, what is said, with an ancient word, vestige. The footprint that must be followed, investigated, to find the direction of what was – then became the poetic form to define the ruins of the past, traces of monuments, walls, statues, devoured by time.
Like a temporal and physical bolus,
a mouthful of stones and art ready to be digested by nature that envelops and
corrodes everything.
And we walk on it, side by side, unaware that we are not so different from those residues of effigies and bricks.
Walking on history does not mean avoiding
it, overwhelming it, escaping its digestion. But it's not as sad as it might
seem.
Because this ancient road reminds us
how nothing disappears.
Even if what was remains only a
memory, it is still visible, it's in the very skin of nature – you can touch
it.
In some form, we will remain...
The photographs were taken during a photographic outbound with the Al3photo association.
I always fascinated by their thriving civilization...produced advances in technology...culture and architecture...that remained unequaled for centuries.
ReplyDeleteMy obsession on it can be seen in my house with few Roman pillars been built almost look alike...hahaha☺☺☺
Thank you so much for your sharing...this is really help me in deepen my knowledge about it.
Really happy to know 😊🙏
DeleteWow. Beautiful and unique!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. 😍
Thank you 😊
DeleteYour words are so poetic with the absence of rhyme. My harvest for today :"ancient road reminds us how nothing disappears."
ReplyDeletePerfect shots are given, that's your trademark.
So let's stay in tme 😊⏳
DeleteAmazing. Looking at these photos feels like going back to ancient times.
ReplyDeleteA history that will not be swallowed up by time. And our lives learn a lot
from the history of the past.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks a lot you like it ☺️
DeleteAll the photos are amazing
ReplyDelete