‘For the Via Appia, this is incredibly important. It is an attribution of universal value to the Via Appia. It is the very first and most important highway of antiquity, along which troop movements took place and where, at the same time, olive oil and wine were transported and sold worldwide for the first time on a commercial scale. In which slaves were traded and a capitalist market economy emerged.'
Muro Tenente
VU has conducted research at many sites along the Via Appia. Currently, the research is concentrating on the Muro Tenente landscape park in Puglia, which the researchers have now also been given management control over. Gert-Jan Burgers: ‘Almost nothing is left of the Via Appia, but in this part of Italy you can actually see the road. Here we are actually uncovering the stones and road surface of the time.'
Settlement
Research is not limited to the Via Appia alone. Burgers: ‘We are investigating the landscape history, the settlements around the Via Appia. For example, we have excavated a temple that was absolutely unknown, next to the remains of a pre-Roman settlement. That temple, we have excavated in the last two years, is very special. Not to mention the finds we find in the process, from beautiful painted vases and tombs to coins and inscriptions.'
The exact course
The exact course of the Via Appia near Muro Tenente has now been able to be determined by the researchers. Burgers: ‘We used the most advanced, new archaeological research methods, such as georadar, magnetometer research and worked with aerial photography and drones. With these, we were able to record the route very precisely and then we excavated it and found that it is, indeed, just there; the Queen of Roads, as the Via Appia was already called in ancient times.'
Future
UNESCO status does not guarantee money, but the researchers are resourceful. Burgers: ‘We have been working with the regional authorities and municipalities for years, and together we have applied for European grants.' Meanwhile, they have already received several million for about three projects. Burgers: ‘We manage a 40-hectare park, so a lot of money is needed to really do something. But gradually it is starting to take on professional forms. That's also what we want. VU has been in this kind of project for years. You need a very long breath. In any case, Burgers will continue until after his retirement: ‘It has become a kind of life mission.'