Cannae (mod. Canne della Battaglia), an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is situated near the river Aufidus (mod. Ofanto), on a hill on the right bank, 9.6 km (6 miles) southwest from its mouth, and 9 km southwest from Barletta. Apulia (official Italian name: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Otranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. ... The Ofanto is a river in southern Italy. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... A mile is any of a number of units of distance, each in the magnitude of 1–10 km. ... Barletta is a city in Apulia, in south Italy. ...

It is primarily known 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. For the eleventh century battle in the Norman conquest of the Mezzogiorno, see Battle of Cannae (1018) Combatants Carthage Roman Republic Commanders Hannibal Lucius Aemilius Paullus†, Gaius Terentius Varro Strength 40,000 heavy infantry, 6,000 light infantry, 8,000 cavalry 86,400–87,000 men (sixteen Roman and Allied... Bust of Hannibal Hannibal (247 BC – 183/182 BC; sometimes referred to as Hǎnnibal Barca) was a Carthaginian politician and statesman who is considered to be one of the finest military generals in history. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC - 210s BC - 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC Years: 221 BC 220 BC 219 BC 218 BC 217 BC - 216 BC - 215 BC 214 BC... The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and the Phoenician city of Carthage. ...

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. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.