Cannae

Cannae (mod. Canne della Battaglia), an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is situated near the river Aufidus, on a hill on the right bank, 9.6 km (6 miles) southwest from its mouth, and 9 km southwest from Barletta.

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.