Figure 1: Via Egnatia and the ancient coastal road (by Domenico Mustili)

Via Egnatia was the most important ancient road that connected the seaside of South Illyria with the Orient as a continuation of Via Appia from Italy. It was mentioned in the 2nd century b. C. by Polybius (STRAB., Geogr., VII 7, 4 and 8) as a road starting from Apollonia (today Pojan) to Thessalonica of 267 miles. His western part passed on the Valley of Scampis (alb. Shkumbin) on the tracks of an ancient Illyrian road named “of Candavia”. In 79 b. C. it was traversed by Pompeius and in 58 b. C. by Ciceronius. The definitive road, with trackways, bridges and stations had been built in the 2nd century b. C. under the direction of the proconsul Gaius Egnatius, from who is believed it take the name. According Taffel his name was originated from the city Egnatia in the south Italy between Bari and Brindisi (De via militari, I, 2), today Torre d’Egnazzo or d’Egnazia in the south-est of Monopolis. A second start of this road was from Dyrrachion (alb. Durrës), both branches dating in Scampinus. In the 1st century a. C. the road was prolonged to Byzantium. The main stations were: Clodiana (today Peqin), Scampinus (today Elbasan), Lychnidus (today Ohrid), Herakleia, Eddesa, Pella, Thessalonica, Apollonia (Pollina), Amphipolis, Neapolis, Traianopolis, Adrianopolis, Perinto, Constantinople (MILLER, Itineraria, 516-527). It was reconstructed many times during the 2nd and 3rd centuries a. C. It had been used completely until the period of Anastasius and of Iustinus at the beginning of the 6th century (TAFFEL, De via militari, I, VIII-IX). In the period of the resistance and the anti-Turkish wars of Albanians under the leadership of George Castrioti Scanderbeg Via Egnatia had been the geo-strategical axe of these wars. During the punitive expeditions against Albania the Albanian part of Via Egnatia was employed even by sultans Murad II in 1450 and Mehmed II in 1466-1467. In Albania today we have evident tracks of the Via at Roskovec, Peqin, Topçias and a complete tract from Xibraka (Traiecto) at Qukës (Tres Tabernas) on the left side of the river Shkumbin.

Figure 2: “Peutigeriana Table”, Via Egnatia from Dyrrachion to Nicopolis