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Popilia

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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(or P0PILLIA), VIA, the name of two ancient roads in Italy. (1) A highroad running from the Via Appia at Capua to Regium, a distance of 321 m. right along the length of the peninsula, and the main road through the interior of the country, not along the coast. It was built in 159 B.C. by the censor M. Popilius Laenias or in 132 B.C. by the consul P. Popilius. (2) A highroad from Ariminum to Aquileia along the Adriatic coast. It no doubt originally came into use when Aquileia was founded as a frontier fortress of Italy in 181 B.C., and Polybius gives the distance correctly as 178 m. In 132 it was reconstructed (munita) by the consul P. Popilius, one of whose milestones has been found near Atria. It ran along the shore strip (Lido) from Ariminum to Ravenna (33 m.), where it was usual in imperial times for travellers to take ship and go by canal to Altinum, and there resume their journey by road, though we find the stations right through on the Tabula Peutingeriana, and Narses marched in 552 from Aquileia to Ravenna. (T. As.)