EGNAZIAGoing along Horace’s trip…

WHERE IS EGNAZIA?Egnazia is an old city in Apulia near Fasano, today there are only ruins.Messapi lived there and in their language that city was called GNATHIA.Egnazia is cited by Plinius, Strabon and Horace who speaks about his trip from Rome to Brindisi in his fifth Satire .

THE HISTORY OF EGNAZIA

The history of GNATHIA developed in a lot of centuries. The first settling made up of hut villages rised in XV century b.C.(Bronze Age). In XI century b.C. (Iron Age) there was the invasion of some populations from Balkan area.After there was Messapics ages that finished with the Roman occupation. Then for lots of years all the population was affected by malria and the main part of the inhabitants died.Via Traiana was an old roman street, it was built between 108 and 110 A.D. by the imperorTraian.It connected Beneventum to Brundisium.

Today we can find there walls to defence (high 7 metres) and necropolis where there are tombs and rooms painted in fresco.

EGNAZIA IN ROMAN TIME

Egnazia is a particular and mysterious city for its excavation in the sea. When there is low tide, it is possible to see all the tombs in the rocks.Horace describes Egnazia: “sunspended from a cliff beaten by the sea waves”.

THE MUSEUM AND THE EXCAVATIONS

The museum is near the new excavations.It is very rich of old testimonies.Moreover in the museum there are the repair lab and the library.From 2001the Bari University starded some other excavations, particulary on the “forum”, a big place quadrangular.Today it is possible to see the fortress on the acropolis that defended all the medieval village.