Archaeological Sites of Puglia
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Latest update: 18 March 2024
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By: Dion Protani
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Among the small number of archaeological sites of Puglia we find a number of historical periods represented. Roca Vecchia for example on the Adriatic Coast of the Salento, dates back to the Bronze Age. The popular Grotta della Poesia which lies at the centre of the site is a popular spot for modern-day swimmers but was once a sacred place where prayers were sent to the gods.
Cannae della Battaglia is the battlefield that saw one of the most bloody and significant battles of antiquity. It was fought on 2 August 216 BC between the forces of the Carthaginian and Roman armies as part of the Second Punic War. |
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As many as seventy thousand soldiers are thought to have lost their lives in the battle and the Carthaginian victory was one of the most famous achievements of their general Hannibal Barca who had marched his war elephants across the Alps two years earlier.
From a later period of antiquity we find the Roman Amphitheatre of Lecce; incredibly, it wasn't discovered until the beginning of the twentieth century, too late to stop development of the city that had grown around it. The amphitheatre now lies rather incongruously next to modern office buildings in one corner of the city's Piazza Sant'Oronzo.
From a later period of antiquity we find the Roman Amphitheatre of Lecce; incredibly, it wasn't discovered until the beginning of the twentieth century, too late to stop development of the city that had grown around it. The amphitheatre now lies rather incongruously next to modern office buildings in one corner of the city's Piazza Sant'Oronzo.
Roca Vecchia
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Cannae
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Roman Amphitheatre of Lecce
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