Cannae

Cannae (mod. Canne), an ancient village of Apulia, near the river Aufidus, situated on a hill on the right bank, 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.