Via Corsica

The Roman history of the Corsica lasts approximately thirteen centuries, of IIIe century before J. - C. until the medium of Xe century of our era (cf history of the province of Corsican-Sardinia). Such a romanisation, such an occupation of significant space in the development of the Corsican language and contemporary toponymy, requires displacements, exchanges and thus surely the construction or the installation of lanes, transportation routes.

This study thus proposes to present an information retrieval on the Roman ways of Corsica, prone original who falls under an European project: the Roman ways of the Mediterranean.

Concerning Corsica, the question is new, because the historians of this century seem little convinced: Antoine Albitreccia writes that” an uncertainty reigns about the roads established in the island “by the Romans. Pierre Antonetti doubts the romanisation lorqu' it writes: “finally, a true romanisation, they are Route S, true motor-roads, made to defy the centuries. However under this angle also, the assessment is thin. ” As for Jean Jehasse, he affirms that “nothing indicates yet, according to archaeological traces some, a Roman way” in the island.

But this uncertainty is rather girl of the absence of systematic policy of exploration of Roman realities, that history of the island. Indeed, the reading of the old texts, research in historical and archaeological documentation makes it possible to gather a certain number of elements, concrete rich person and, who ensure of the validity of the existence of such axes in old Corsica, axes that an attentive study and without a priori made redécouvrir, in the landscape of today.

First part - Investigation into the historical sources

The text of the Itinéraire of Antonin is the only ancient text concerning Corsica to evoke a road connecting various points of the island, located all length or in the area of the Eastern coast of the island. Often allotted to IIe century, its drafting appears later, like showed it Raymond Chevallier. The problem the most delicate remainder the interpretation of the document. For certain authors, the source of the text would be the Carte of Clutched, realized under the reign of Auguste, for other historians the Route would have as a base a mural chart carried out at the time of Caracalla, at the beginning of IIIe century, which would be then a compilation badly written in the first years of the reign of Dioclétien (284-305). But according to Raymond Knight, it nevertheless is established that the text is “a collection of mansiones , provided with attics intended to collect the provisioning in kind being used for the payment of the soldiers and the civils servant”.

For Corsica, therefore, this text mentions a lane whose distance is calculated in Thousand S. On the basis of Mariana, to lead to Pallas, the road included/understood the sites of stages according to: Aleria, Praesidium, Portus Favonus. Here is the text:

ANTONIN, Itinerarium Provinciarum, 85,4

CORSICAE

has Mariana Pallas ................ mpm CXXV

Aleria ................................ mpm XL

Praesidio ........................... mpm XXX

Portu Favoni ...................... mpm XXX

Pallas ............................... mpm XXV

In Corsica, De Mariana with Pallas, there are 125 miles, De Mariana with Aleria 40 miles, of Aleria with Praesidium 30 miles, Praesidium to Portus Favonus 30 miles and of Portus Favonus in Pallas 25 miles; That is to say:

59,2 km between Mariana and Aleria
44,4 km between Aleria and Praesidium
44,4 km between Praesidium and Portus Favonus
37 km between Portus Favonus and Pallas

Thus 185 km between Mariana and Pallas.

Of precise appearance, the text however leaves in uncertainty concerning the exact localization of certain places. This is why it is necessary to give a progress report on the knowledge acquired in connection with each stage of the Route.

Mariana

The first station of the Route is well-known. Mariana was founded by Caius Marius in 100 before J. - C.. Like Frederique Nucci writes it: " the town of Mariana developed under the Empire and continued to exist until the beginning of the Early middle ages. But it is truly during late Antiquity, about the time constantinienne, that Mariana reaches its greater prosperity, its greater degree of développement."

Here it seems the starting point of the way, which gives him an important value in the history of the communications in the Mediterranean.

Aleria

The town of Aleria, occupied since the conquest of 259 av. J. - C., is the object of a colonial foundation by Sylla, dictator in 79 av. J. - C. Installed on a plate which dominates an alluvial plain where curve two rivers, Tavignanu and Tagnone, Aleria is known as also Urbs in the old texts, which ensures of its role of political center of Roman Corsica.

The Route thus joined the two Roman cities oldest of Corsica, and it is probable that a monument of Aleria, the thermal baths of Santa Laurina, are a mansio , i.e. a stage, a halt. This building, reserved to the travellers, and located out the walls of the Pregnant of the city, is the first confirmation of the existence of a structured road.

Praesidium

This site poses many problems of identification. Because it seems that the distances suggested by the Route do not make it possible to locate this point precisely. For this reason Rene Rebuffat proposed to place the site towards the interior of the grounds, by going up the valley of Tavignanu starting from Aleria until Poghju di Venacu and Riventosa. This choice was based on the identification on air photographs of structures strengthened close to Poghju, Riventosa and on two hills close to Riventosa. In second proposal, this author proposes a chart of Corsica coming in support with his assumption, binding this distortion to a made confusion of an aiming starting from the sea. He writes “In this case the route Aleria - Praesidio could be represented by a parallel feature and rather near to that which symbolized the Aleria route - Favona. Confusion, one sees it, was then quite easy to make. ”

Another assumption suggested by Karl Müller, the editor of the text, goes until considering that at a stage of the history of the text, a glosator, after having remade the accounts, had a reason to add to the text the mention of Praesidium. It would be thus a glose introduced after a revision of the text.

Other historians proposed possible places for this site: Jean Jehasse places it in the area of Vezzani, because it accepts the assumption of a presence in the mountains of the interior. Mario Ascari places it to him between Asprivu and Abbazzia, in the Fium' Orbu and corrects the figures of the manuscript, which is not very acceptable. As for Andre Berthelot, he proposes that “Praesidio and Portus Favoni makes dual employment”, but he does not specify why.

All these tests are only related to the question of the figures of the manuscript: it do not take into account the field realities. However according to Olivier Jehasse, it appears righter, in waiting of convincing archaeological discoveries, to seek an explanation through the ancient texts and the contemporary linguistic study.

On the basis of the reading of a text of Strabon, Olivier Jehasse proposes, after a linguistic reading of toponyms provided by the tradition written concerning Corsica, and of the study of the structuring places of the Corsican medieval geography, to recognize in Praesidium, the memory of a Charax attested by Strabon, and the ancestor of the name Castellu, attested by the géonyme Pieve di Castellu, with the northern borders of the Fium' Orbu. For him “these three toponyms, Charax, Præsidium and Castellu, return to only one and even reality, a fort, a fortified camp, a monument girds ramparts. This permanence of direction, and this continuation of the translation, are important for the old story, because they attest of a rooting plurilinguistic in the insular territory, where one recognizes the Greek Langue, the Latin Langue and the Corsican Langue, three vestiges very strongly related to the cultural periodisation of Corsica Classica, and three sites joined together in as the archaeological prospection made it possible to confirm it”. “Praesidium is not any more one fort with military vocation rejecting the Corsicans in the world of the peaks, as at the time of Strabon, but rather a structure with more sedentary vocation, controlling a border either, but guaranteeing a passage towards the Western or southernmost coast, and ensuring the safety of a zone of exploitation in forest Piedmont”.

This analysis is reinforced by the point of view of Xavier Poli, who writes that the “Praesidium, built well on the site of Charax (Palo) must be probably posterior with Ptolémée; it is probably about a strengthened refuge, built to put the convoys safe from an incursion of the Syrbi” If one notices variations in the dating, it is that for Xavier Poli, the text of Ptolémée returns to a structuring of Corsica former on arrival of the Romans.

This is why this last analysis carries the conviction, and one can propose to place Praesidium on the territory of the commune of Serra di Fium' Orbu, where a Charace toponym, seems to indicate the space evoked by all these texts.

Portus Favonus

This site is identified by the majority of the historians like the Philonios Port of Ptolémée, and corresponds to the split of Favona, on the territory of the commune of Conca. With all the more of reasons that underwater archaeological prospections allowed the discovery of various ancient vestiges, whose stray remainder of and various Tesson S. One can add besides that the dialectologic investigation in this commune attests well geographical agreement of the two names.

Pallas

This site causes to him also great divergences between the authors. The majority of the historians identify indeed the place with Bonifaziu, in the extreme south of the Eastern coast, opposite the Sardinia. But this position is not acceptable, if one sticks to the distances, to which it misses more than 20 km, which is an impossible error, considering the logic of the preceding stages.

Rene Rebuffat places Pallas at the point of Sperone, because according to him, “the chart of Ptolémée, locates with much precision in the vicinity of Sperone a town of Palla, where it is well trying to recognize Palmas/Plalas, Pallas of the Route, the more so as the Palmas form is easily expressed like a lectio to facilitate , and Plalas like an inadvertency starting from the Pallas form forms it”.

G. Moracchini-Mazel considers, it as, as Palla is the harbor establishment of the Piantarella to broad of the Cape Sperone, which takes again Roberto Zucca, in its work. On the other hand, Jean Jehasse considers that it is necessary to seek Palla behind gulf of Sant' Amanza, André Berthelot and François Ceccaldi, propose the handle of Port Novu, more in north, and A.Ambrosi proposes the gulf of Santa Ghjulia.

As for Olivier Jehasse, he proposes to recognize in Pallas Balled it from which comes Blesinoi de Strabon, and places it “in the surroundings of Porti Vecchju”. He thinks that the morphological analysis of Pallas “authorizes a bringing together with the radical of Blesinoi known by Strabon, and that the text of Ptolémée transmits under a third version”

Thus it is possible to affirm that it is well Santa Ghjulia which is the position more in connection at the same time with the texts and the historical geography of this area. Because it seems sure that Bonifaziu cannot be Pallas, since it is obviously about the site of Marianon, such as Ptolémée names it.

Appendices

Ancient texts

Strabon, Geography , V, 2,7, between 231 and 65 av.- C. (transl. O.Jehasse) " Kurnos, called by the Korsika Romans, offers only one miserable habitat, because it is escarpée and in the major absolutely inaccessible part, so much so that the natives who hold the peaks and live of armed robbery are worse than the wild animals. When the Roman generals make an incursion and fall on some fort, they bring back a great quantity of slaves whom one can see in Rome (...). There exists however a certain number of sites of habitats - oikesima and kinds of cités' - polismata , at Blesinoi, in Charax, Enikoniai and Ouapanes. According to Chorographe, it measures 160 miles in length, 70 in width. According to others, its perimeter would be of 3.200 stages. ”

Ptolémée, Geographical Guide , III, 2,1-7, IIe century, (transl. O.Jehasse)

“the island of Kurnos, also called Korsika or Korsè, is surrounded with setting and north by the sea Ligustique, with the East by the Tyrrhenian Sea, the south by the sea which separates it from the island of Sardo. And the east coast described following the order that here:

(….) - Description of the southernmost coasts: Cité de Palla 31°20' 39°10' Port Syracusain 31°20' 39°25' Cité de Rhoubra 31°20' 39°30' Headland Graniakon 31°30' 39°40' Cité d'Alista 31°20' 39°55' Port Philonios 31°30 39°55'

- Description on the Eastern side Mouth of the River Crowned 31°30' 40°00' Colony of Aleria 31°30' 40°05' Mouth of the river Rhotanos 31°30' 40°10' Port of Artemis 31°20' 40°35' Cité de Marianè 31°20' 40°40' Headland Ouagon 31°30' 40°45' Cité de Mantinon 31°20' 41°00' Cité de Klunion 31°20' 41°10'

NR. b: description is organized south towards north with the appearance of a southernmost coast where one finds the Port Philonios/Favonus, and two cities of Aleria and Mariana, whose only Aleria carries the title of colony.

Second Part: assets of contemporary research

Cadastral, cartographic and toponymic study

A Roman occupation several centuries on the Eastern plain necessarily left traces in the land registers and the place names. Also, the investigation continues in this direction and explores several convergent directions.

Cadastrations and Centuriations

In Antiquity, the Romans arranged their territory by establishing land registers. The project of colonization is established initially by a confiscation of space, then a geometrization following of the axes concerned with crowned in order to control a whole territory. It is about the centuriation.

The cadastration sets up within the centuriation the limits of the properties or the batches intended to be granted to the recipients. The establishment of the land registers is an at the same time economic, social project and monk where Rome imposes its civilization. For Roger Charre “this technique of cadastral installation… has triple function: it is a method of exploration, location and appropriation of a territory”. And it is in an organized and arranged territory that one often finds the great routes.

The cadrastal map is generally organized compared to two perpendicular layouts, the cardo maximus (North-South axis) and the decumanus maximus (East-West axis) and thus makes it possible to obtain a squaring in square or rectangular pieces, of which the traditional unit is the centurie (= 50 ha).

This squaring was used for the establishment of the ways; the principal limits of the centuriations consist of roads and ways of connection.

It is necessary to seek and study the current landscapes for better including/understanding installations of the past; the marks of the old organizations perdurent inside the compartmental contemporaries.

scientific documentation

This chapter is based primarily on successive work of Roger Charre, Jean and Laurence Jehasse and Antoine Peretti. The first cadastral orientations of the Eastern plain are located by Roger Charre in 1983-1984 in the review Archeologia Corsa n° 8-9. In its article entitled “the ancient land registers of Aleria, Identification”; Roger Charre highlights the existence of five orthogonal networks (networks NR 15° Is, N2° Is, NR 82° Is, NR 65° Is, NR 27° Is). These various land registers were identified after an analysis of the structure of the compartmental contemporary, network of the roads, ways and archaeological vestiges of the plain of Aleria; the study shows that it is starting from Aleria that these cadastrations were established. In the same review, resuming work of R. Charre, Jean and Laurence Jehasse propose assumptions of datings for these orientations.

Finally the searchs for Antoine Peretti appear also interesting. Being based on the preceding results, the historian tried to find the possible ancient land registers in Fium' Orbu. A. Peretti recognized at the time of its research projects two “Strade Romane” in its area of study; they are located, one in the south of Migliacciaru and the other in the west of the pond of Gradugine. With which cadastral orientation do belong they? Compartmental N2° is concentrated between Fium' Orbu and Abbatescu, in the south of Migliacciaru, with a light extension to the west seems to be the network corresponding to the orientation of these road vestiges. According to Jean and Laurence Jehasse this land register would date from the medium of Ier century before J. - C. the dating is proposed according to the monuments and of the organization of the space of Aleria. Cadastral research continued in the years 1990. Jean and Laurence Jehasse propose in 1991-1992 in the review Archeologia Corsa n° 16-17, “Three cadastrations and centuriations in Eastern Corsica. The Plain and Piedmont” it is about a work of analysis of the land registers NR 27° Is, NR 82° Is, Western N2°.

In order to supplement and to look further into the analysis on the land registers it was essential to use the topographic charts of the I.G.N to the 1/25000ème. Not very handy, these charts makes it possible however to locate the main trends preserved by raising the roads and the ways which are still related to ways or cadastral limits of Antiquity. These charts give also a general aspect, the geographical framework of the studied area and make it possible to register in the landscape the vestiges of the old occupations, and to identify the Routes. They give birth to a second reading from the historical tradition.

Thereafter, the tables of assembly of the communes concerning the study were also consulted. Not being able to analyze all the communes of the Eastern plain, the choice was made on the most important communes, richest in historical information. Thus the coastal territories of the communes of Lucciana, Vescuvatu were studied, Cervioni, Aleria, Ghisonaccia, Prunelli di Fium' Orbu, Serra di Fium' Orbu, Conca, and Lecci di Porti Vecchju). The tables of assembly thus made it possible to locate orientations, roads and ways which lie within the scope defined by the first research around Aleria.

Research was finally practiced within the communes; it is often in the middle of the soil that one learns from the things useful for the knowledge of the past. But it is symptomatic to note that often, neither the inhabitants of the communes, nor the employees of town hall could give information on the possible Roman ways in Corsica. It is clear that the scientific data are not controlled yet by the members of the village communities concerned. This is why it was necessary to call upon another science, that of toponymy.

Toponymy

Toponymy is rich in information, because it expresses the reports/ratios of the men and nature and comes to clarify all their economic life and social. François Melmoth says that “the roads are creative words. Everywhere where they passed, they left names at the villages or the places known as. Thus, the old ways are still visible on our charts thanks to the toponyms which they inspired”.

From where the interest to study the toponyms in Corsica where the toponymic study seems an essential help because the history of the development of the Corsican language returns the research of the Latin, pilot toponyms of the Roman occupation, easier.

In the actual position of the investigation which relates only to the hard copies, it seems that toponyms associated with the Roman ways (Croce, Migliari, Strada, Termini…) are listed little along the Eastern coast of the island. However, a toponym remains interesting has to study: it is that of the hamlet of Migliacciaru on the commune of Prunelli-di-Fium' Orbu. According to Antoine Peretti at XVIe and XVIIIe centuries, “Migliacciaru”, located at the south of Ghisonaccia, is a true road junction in the middle of the great génois fields. “A persistent oral tradition allots the same role under Antiquity to him”. Migliacciaru is thus regarded as an important center under the Empire.

The significance of this toponym could derive from the “milliary” term wanting to mark a road terminal indicating a halt or an important relay. For the terminals and classifications of the terminals, Raymond Chevallier proposes the toponyms according to: Migliari, Migliarinalo, Miglio dritto, Milliarino. But, the absence of archaeological discoveries lead A. Peretti to qualify this toponym like a term relating to the culture of the millet or millet.

Another interrogation can also go on the place says “Migliarine” located on the commune of Castellare di Casinca. Listed on the section land register of the commune has, the interest of this toponym close to the lexicon listed by Raymond Chevallier will be studied later on. Thus, two important toponyms come to underline at two places different from the Eastern coast, of the linguistic traces of a structuring without any doubt of Roman origin.

Archaeological documentation

The structure of the ways

Which the data which condition the establishment of the ways?

“Natural geographical factors, human factors - distribution and density of the population -, economic, geopolitical - strategic importance of the crossed places - average of circulation and technological level…” “The study of a road route must thus initially comprise the analysis of the relationship with the environment and the characteristics of the natural environment, defined by the geomorphology, lithology, pedology, the climate, the vegetation and hydrography. ” is

Which the main features of the Roman ways?

The majority of the Roman ways present straight reaches; on a long distance one observes a succession of segments of right-hand side which seem to correct and catch up with unceasingly the head office. Only archeology can truly inform about the structure, the internal architecture of the road monument; it is by establishing a stratigraphy which one can analyze different the states: at the base a foundation raft of large stones posed flat randomly followed by a layer of ground to equalize rough surface; then, a stone rudus crush on the spot gauged and rammed then sanded and compacted. The materials employed are generally of local source according to the nature of the ground.

In Corsica, considering the actual position of archaeological research on the Roman world, one cannot know the physical structure of the possible Roman ways.

Urban streets

When Rome creates a city, or a new colonial center, before even building monuments, or dwellings, the land-surveyors come to trace the city, to envisage its general ordinance, to articulate its various districts, to set up its essential bodies. The traditional diagram of the foundation of a Roman city comprises rigorous rites:

observation of the direction of the rising sun, at the day of the foundation, starting from the point of station of the apparatus of aiming, called groma. This direction is that of one of the two main streets, the decumanus maximus (East-West orientation).
determination of the direction perpendicular to the preceding one and passing by the point of station of the groma, which is that of the second main street, the cardo maximus.
the layout of a network of streets parallel with the two main streets and equidistant from/to each other, the decumani and cardines undervalue. This allows a cutting in more or less regular small islands of dwellings, the insulae.

In general the main streets were paved, their basement traversed by sewers, and were bordered of pavements. The average width of the streets (without pavements) varied from 4 to 7 meters. Thus, the Roman city appears as a creation of spiritual nature according to an Etruscan rite of origin since it represents, projected on the ground, an image of the world, cosmos. This is why it appeared necessary not to neglect in this study the study of the urban roadway system of the two main cities of Corsica, Aleria and Mariana, which makes it possible to consolidate the indices collected until now.

The urban roadway system of Mariana

According to Jean Jehasse, “the axis of the decumanus of the last Roman centuriation is well attested of is in west with Mariana: by the way bordered of tombs and the old rampart of the colony - the paléochrétien unit - the Murotondu line, Bagnoli, Penitelle and the vault San Silvestru. The orientation of NR 20° is confirmed by that of San Parteu, and by the major cardo that one can establish starting from San Giustu”.

Always visible on the ground, the decumanus maximus is the axis founder of the town of Mariana. This way structuring the ancient city seems to be prolonged in the west towards the mountain and the east towards the sea. Its existence and its importance are not any doubt, other vestiges located in the plain clearly showing the possibility for parallels with this quite visible axis.

The urban roadway system of Aleria

It is, after a visit on the ground, the analysis of the plans, the land registers and graces to new work of Jean and Olivier Jehasse whom one can integrate the organization of the urban roadway system of Aleria into the question of the Roman ways of Corsica.

The decumanus maximus of the town of Aleria appears according to the last analyzes made by Jean and Olivier Jehasse, the axis founder of the structuring of the space of the city. It is starting from this East-West axis that all the whole of the roadway system of the city is organized.

One notes the presence of several North-South ways, perpendicularly cutting the major axis of the city, (charts p 116,117 and 118). And one can also note that the decumanus maximus town of Aleria structure and soda at the same time urban space but also space external of the city. Being prolonged in the west towards the mountain and the east towards the port of the city, this decumanus division the plain in two parts.

The Route of Antonin is thus a perpendicular with the main axis of the city. It seems, that in spite of modifications undergone during the centuries in the middle of the city, in the countryside and the area around, the axis founder was maintained, and it is him that one finds in several roads and ways building the landscape all around the hillock of Aleria.

“It was possible to check on air photographs and on the ground which the streets of the cities are prolonged by axes organizing the territory” writes R. Charre in the study mentioned above.

Works of art

The Roman bridges count among the most famous monuments; they are obliged points of passage, their construction is often dependant on considerations of a strategic and economic nature.

In Corsica, between Mariana and the south of the Eastern coast, the crossing of the rivers is a need, because of the presence of many brooks and more than one ten enough broad rivers to oblige to conceive means of dry crossing. But today, no true vestige was listed, although two interesting historical information should be retained.

A toponym, “I Ponti”, located at the east of the ancient city of Mariana, lets consider the presence of one or several ancient bridges at this place; more especially as Mr. L. Leschi and A. Chauvel, in their work of the beginning of the century, announce remainders of piles and vestiges of bridge. They locate them with 500 meters in the east of the city.

In addition, certain ancient vestiges located in Fium' Altu were identified according to Laurent Casanova like which can be the preserved vestiges of piles of a Roman bridge. In waiting of complementary studies, one can affirm that this bridge, if there existed, played doubtless a part in the structuring of the Route of Antonin, and that its existence is made even more probable by the name of the river which suggests a too high depth not to oblige to build a work of crossing.

At the time Roman, the bridge is not the single means to cross the rivers. One notes the existence of vats, bridge or spleens, operations with the oar or the draille by ratiarii. The natural fords, place less depth of water of a river, were very much used. It seems, according to the oral tradition, that in Corsica of many fords were still used at the beginning of the XIXe century to cross the rivers of the plain. Their census shows that except in Aleria, they often far away from the rectilinear layout were supposed for the way, which rather makes prefer the assumption of vat for the crossing of certain rivers. In spite of even if this question requires to be specified, it does not appear desirable to eliminate the assumption from the existence of bridges of Roman epoch along the Route, bridges which disappeared today, because of their wood architecture or also because of the change of the courses of the insular rivers, which often varied during the centuries, as the studies of geomorphology led along the Eastern shores of the island show it.

The milliary ones

Monument emblematic of the Roman ways, no milliary terminal was found in the Eastern plain to date; contrary to Corsica, one found in Sardinia nearly a hundred the milliary ones. The Sardinian Roman roads are well attested and recognized in all this island.

The milliary columns indicated the distances to be traversed, but they were also the mark, along the roads of the Roman power. Their name (millet (L) iarim) comes from that of the thousand, the module which is used to mark out the ways, that is to say thousand Roman steps or 1478,50 Mr. the double step (passus; gradus = the step) was indeed equal to 1,48m, that is to say 5 feet or pole.

The milliary ones, generally, are presented in the form of columns cylindrical or ovalized, sometimes parallelepipedic, of limestone, sandstones, granite or basalt, of which the base is cubic and projecting to allow a more solid rooting, and of which the height varies from 2 to 4 m, the diameter from 0,5 to 0,8 Mr. But, the milliary ones can also be coupled against a rock or a construction; they can also correspond to a pillar of a villa, with simple signposts, stones intended to help the riders to put itself in saddle, with tree trunks… One finds for the modern and contemporary terminals the same uses.

One could see that the origin of milliary can be varied; also, the absence of milliary columns in Corsica, can be explained by the use of milliary out of wood. Thus, the absence of vestiges becomes comprehensible. Rene Rebuffat proposed a series of reflections on the research of milliary lost: some, out of wood, fragile, were provided with painted inscriptions, which one also finds on milliary palimpsests or corrected.

In the research of the sites of milliary, it is important to be interested in all the elements of the landscape. Because, even disappeared, there remains a cross, a junction, a passage of limit, a toponym… or a thicket of bushes. Along the Eastern plain, a toponym of milliary was preserved: Migliarine, located on the commune of Castellare di Casinca. It would be interesting to begin archaeological research on this place in order to look further into knowledge on milliary Corsican. In addition the Migliacciaru toponym, on the commune of Prunelli di Fium' Orbu can, in a meaning of its significance, to also refer him to a monument of this type.

New proposals on the layout of the Route of Antonin

This Corsican road is attested by an ancient text and one knows the common crossings, the sites of stages and the distances which separate them. These elements are as many stakes which make it possible to restore the layout of the way or at least the head office that it borrowed. In order to follow on the ground the layout of the way, it is necessary in this part to attach between them information gathered and the data resulting from research.

De Mariana with Aleria

At the beginning of Mariana various assumptions are to be raised:

The excavations of the necropolis of I Ponti undertaken by G.Moracchini-Mazel, located at the east of the archeological site of Mariana, out of left bank of Golu, appeared interesting. The archeologist discovered in a trench of approximately 2,50 meters to 3 meters of depth the existence of a way empierrée of rollers on 0,30 meters. “It is a way which came from north and crossed Golu in direction of the south”. This macadamization out of rollers can be regarded as the departure of a way. Thus, thanks to archeology one can give all his direction to the place says “I Ponti” and see there the departure of a route in direction of the south. But there exists the possibility of another departure of Mariana.

According to Genevieve Moracchini Mazel and a precise cadastral study, one notes the ancient existence of one second way in the south of the church of Canonica by always keeping a North-South axis, the latter is parallel to the hypothetical way on the basis of the place says I Ponti. (chart p 109). According to an oral tradition, still about fifty years ago approximately, one could cross Golu to the place even where, this possible way crossed the river. According to the inhabitants there would have been a ford in the south of Canonica and for them that would explain the absence of vestiges of bridges.

According to R. Chevallier, for the important cities, one often observes the phenomenon of leg of goose to the doors (or the bridges) i.e. ways laid out two by two in lines parallel with the approach of the cities; that often makes it possible to distinguish from the successive phases of extension. A goose leg supposes a former or contemporary screen: it is thus posterior with the ramparts of the city. M.Roblin announced that ancient ways could reach independently from/to each other the center of the city, obliged sometimes to a light parallelism at the end of the course. This phenomenon seems to be confirmed in Mariana, where one can observe two ways parallel at the southern exit of the city.

The departure of Mariana is now known; the way continues then in direction of the south. (chart p 110) It passes by several communes and, crosses Golu, Fium' altu, the river of Alesani, Bravone until Tavignanu.

The distance suggested by the Route between Mariana and Aleria corresponds about to the current distance. Only difference, the current road does not pass by Mariana, but to 6 km in the west of the city.

More precisely, of Mariana to Fium' altu one can consider a relatively right way, which confirms the study of chart I.G.N of Vescovatu to the 1/25000ème. (chart p 111). This way passes by the place says “Migliarine” on the commune of Castellare-di-Casinca (section A); this toponym means, we saw it previously, a halt or a relay. (chart p 112)

Considering the straight reach of the current road to reach Aleria, one can regard the ancient way as being parallel to the modern road alignment; it could there have a side translatory movement, this phenomenon arrives still nowadays, where it happens that one builds a new road parallel with the first; but one can also think that the two layouts do only one of them.

The examination of the air photographs seem to confirm that there existed certainly in antiquity a direct Route between Mariana and Aleria. “The modern road (between Mariana and Aleria), with the bottom of the hills, is probably a traditional layout, because it follows the limit of the firm ground quite naturally and of the alluvial ground and the Route could choose this course: also its indication is it probable, and it should be temporarily retained without surrounding it by too many conjectures in waiting of more precise checks and bringing together convincing”.

D' Aleria with Praesidium

The arrival with Aleria poses a certain number of problems (chart p 115): the way T it passes by the town of Aleria, must one regard the thermal baths of Santa Laurina as the station of Aleria, or the way T it circumvents the hill towards the west to continue its course towards the south? The various found cadastral orientations with Aleria do not enable us to establish a valid proposal.

However, according to Olivier Jehasse the thermal baths of Santa Laurina located out the walls of the ancient site of Aleria, with semi way between the port and the city, are a mansio Route. With the existence of this halt, the travellers could carry out a pause, while avoiding the center of the city. Because, “when the ancient Routes name a city, that always does not mean that the way crosses the city itself: it sometimes only makes touch the territory of it: the mansio or mutatio was with the crossing of a diuerticulum leading to the village, it even frequently in defensive position at some distance”.

Archaeologically it is about a vast thermal unit including/understanding, a frigidarium (cold room), composed of two swimming pools in the North-East, one rectangular and the other semicircular one. Parallel to this room one finds in the south tepidarium (tepid room), and the caldarium (hot room); south-west the laconicum allows, by the study of sound hypocauste to note the good state of the hot rooms and to see the underground drains and in the east the apodyterium (rooms of massages and the latrines). One distinguishes in front of the entry from the building a court certainly corresponding to a palestre.

At the time of the excavations carried out by Jean and Laurence Jehasse, “the characteristic pagan elements abound: currencies, of Tibère with Numérien; remains of inscriptions of IIIe century; potteries cisalpines and Gallic of Ier and IIe centuries”. What “supposes a construction in the last years of Ier century before J. - C.”, Olivier Jehasse specifies. Jean and Laurence Jehasse think that this monument is related to a whole of constructions of a harbor district, and Jerome Carcopino sees there the thermal part of a mansio, kind of lodging of stage attached to the harbor life.

It is interesting to note that this building belongs to a structuring of a space in relation to other installations of the city. “Its orientation (N.82°E) is the same one as that of the southern gantry of the forum, like that of the enlarging and the installation of cryptoportic under the Western unit which accommodates one of the large temples of the urban center…”. It is all this unit which makes this monument extremely important in the history of the operation of the Eastern way of Corsica.

Always in Aleria, a second site deserves attention. It is about that of the necropolis pre Roman of Casabianda, organized around a way of each ^coté whose the antiquated tombs of Ve - IIIe front centuries are dug J. - C. However it is interesting to note, that in the south of the necropolis, this way separates into two direction different, one towards the pond of Urbinu, the other frankly towards the west. According to Olivier Jehasse, it is there that one could recognize derivation towards the west in direction of Praesidium next stage of the Route of Antonin. Thus, derivation towards Praesidium would not be done at the entry of Aleria, but rather at the exit of the necropolis of Casabianda, which binds the two sites historically and ensures a new proof of the physical existence of a southern northern axis during all the time of Corsica Classica.

More in the south, and always to light this question, it is the territory of the commune of Prunelli-Di-Fium' Orbu, limited to north and the south by Fium' Orbu and Abbatescu, and to the east by the marine shore which appears like particularly significant. (chart p. 119)

First of all, Antoine Peretti announces the existence of two possible Roman ways on this commune, one located at the south of Migliacciaru and the other in the west of the pond of Gradugine. According to the historian, an oral tradition evokes near the mouth of Fium' Orbu, the presence under the sea with a few meters of depth of a “strada romana”. Underwater research made it possible to find, under sand, a regular rock seam of a hundred meters, parallel at the coast. This rock seam is of natural origin, and “to our knowledge, it is well the only one in Corsica who is called “strada romana” specifies Antoine Peretti. Even if the reality of this second way appears extremely dubious, the presence of the double toponym makes it possible to think of the awkward conservation of the memory of two ways of Roman epoch bordering a property of this time. These probably secondary ways appear then as additional signs of the existence of a network viaire builds during the Roman epoch, and reinforce, on a new territory, the probabilities of the existence of an axis crossing or organizing the whole of the Eastern plain.

According to Daniel Istria of the ancient vestiges were localized in the plain of Prunelli-di-Fium' Orbu. It raises the existence of two important establishments: “The site of the office of agricultural and rural development of Corsica, who it is necessary can be to interpret like a workshop of tile maker of IVe - Ve centuries of our era and the site of Salted, a habitat occupied during Ier and IIIe centuries of our era. At that time the soil of plain was structured by the installation of compartmental orthonormé, located thanks to the cartographic study and air photography, and of the channels seem to be dug to drain certain wetlands”. These ancient vestiges attest once again Roman structuring of the landscape of the plain.

It appears thus that Praesidium of the Route of Antonin could be located on the first hills of the plain of Fium' Orbu by dominating installations thus located. It is what confirmed a whole of studies and checks on the peaks close to this soil, and brings to propose, with the support of toponymy, a localization of the site on the commune of Tightened di Fium' Orbu; thus all this unit led to specify for the first time the establishment of the stage between Aleria and Portus Favonus.

De Praesidium in Portus Favonus

After having passed Travu, the way was to continue towards the south, crossing again another river, Solenzara, to reach Portus Favonus corresponding to the split of Favona; one notes here a return towards the seaside.

The purpose of the ways were to connect the important points of the island in order to be used the objectives imperialists and soldiers as Rome. If, the Route of Antonin chosen like stage a port, a coastal structure, it is with an obviously economic aim. If the vegetation and the mountainous relief of this part of the coast make easier the exact recognition of the layout, it is certain that the Route remains a terrestrial route, and that it settles behind first heights of the cut out coast which separates Sari from Porti Vecchju and Conca.

Of Portus Favonus in Pallas

Always in direction of the south, the Route continues then to reach Pallas, its ultimate point. According to the comparative study of the ancient texts made by Olivier Jehasse, Pallas corresponds to Blesinoi de Strabon, which one must locate in the surroundings of Santa Ghjulia in the south of Porti Vecchju, place which probably knew an ancient occupation specifies us Rene Rebuffat.

Moreover the distance, Portus Favonus/Pallas (37 km) corresponds to the distance Favona/Santa Ghjulia (34 km). The difference between the Route of Antonin and the real distance is unimportant. One can regard the position of these stations as exact. But another archaeological source deserves to be announced.

M.M Gift Jacques Cucchi and Gianni Grimaldi made it possible to establish a layout of an ancient way in the north of Porti Vecchju. (chart p. 121). It is the oral tradition which enabled them to locate this “Strada Romana” known for a very long time by the old ones. The recent plantations on this territory confirmed these dires by “the discovery of a certain number of stones and varied road-metals” (sic). Unfortunately one can identify this Roman road, neither on chart I.G.N, nor on the land registers (chart p 122); the existence of this road is primarily the fruit of the oral tradition. It is sure, that this road seems to correspond to those preserved in Fium' Orbu, and that its localization leads to interpret it as being it also a minor road of a built network viaire, as show it the studies carried out by Jean Jehasse

, Why the Route stops it in Santa Ghjulia remains a last question and does not continue until Bonifaziu? The answer is to be sought in the administrative history of Corsica; Attached as of 205 av. J. - C. with the province of Sardinia, it is by analyzing the structuring viaire EC island that the answer appears. The capital of the province is Cagliari, in the extreme south of the two islands and the ways which traverse Sardinia separate towards north in two branches, one towards Oporto Torres - Turris Lisibonis, the other towards Olbia, wearing of loading for Rome and Corsica. Moreover for safety reasons, it is easier to embark in Santa Ghjulia to join Olbia, than to cross the strait, very often made dangereous because of winds and strong storms; The passage to broad of the archipelago of Lavezzi and broad of that of the islands of Maddalena makes easier the communication and especially more regular; This is why, the Route becomes maritime good before the physical termination of the island of Corsica, and that is related to a precise knowledge of maritime realities and data of navigation in the mouths of Bonifaziu. It is what Antoine Peretti notices, who writes that “militarily, to skirt the Eastern coast by sea is much surer and rapid that to cross it to foot… The Sardinian Roman roads, attested well and recognized, stopped with Olbia, large port of cereal shipment towards Italy, and did not go back to north towards Santa Teresa di Gallura and Bonifaziu… The Route of Antonin rather seems to be integrated in a circuit specific to the Eastern coast, whose Mariana and Pallas would constitute the starting and ports of arrival, initially Italy, then Sardinia and then Africa”.

Conclusion of the second part

The investigations into the land registers, the charts, toponymy and archeology thus deliver a great number of information. This work of checking and analysis thus made it possible to gather many information on the existence of the Corsican highway network during Roman Antiquity. The Route of Antonin points out obviously the axis more built to cross the island of north to the south. This linear structure is reconstituted today almost in its totality.

The starting point, in Mariana, is finally localized; a first halt corresponds to the place says “Migliarine” on the commune of Castellare di Casinca; the cadastral and archaeological study made it possible to answer the interrogations concerning the station of Aleria; Fium' Orbu appeared a very interesting area with the Romance presence of two “strade” and the problems for the localization of Praesidium, Portus Favonus and Pallas are solved.

However, remain some assumptions to have final results. Only from new excavation campaigns will bring a better knowledge of the layout of the most important the transportation route of Corsica during Antiquity and of the decisive answers to the remaining interrogations.

It is also important to announce that the absence of bridges or milliary does not exclude the presence from Roman ways in Corsica. One finds, in the south of Spain, same the difficulties to reconstitute the highway network.

In the review, History and Archeology, of October 1982, n°67, on the “Roman Ways”, Pierre Sillieres explains, in a chapter concerning the colonization of the South of Spain, why the majority of the ancient roads do not have the same aspect.

“Generally, they were only hardly empierrés ways which lost today very milked specific: no the agger, not of bridge, very seldom some milliary and near the cities only. Also it is today difficult to draw up the chart of it. Even many roads mentioned in the Route of Antonin or Cosmography are of this type and one can thus establish of them only approximate ways thanks to the identification of the mansiones. ”.

Corsica is thus not a case single and insulated and to see its situation resembling that of ancient Spain seems logic, for which thinks of Sénèque and its text on the history of the island.

Conclusion

Research on existing documentation thus gave a great number of information: the writings of Strabon, the mentions of the text of Ptolémée and the Route of Antonin were the fulcrums of this research. With that were added an attention to the cadastrations and toponymy, some oral traditions and an archaeological research bringing of the new elements.

From all that one can thus conclude, without no hesitation, that Corsica has an highway network organized during the Roman epoch.

The layout and the environment of the major road axis of the island connecting Mariana to Pallas are from now on better known; one can attest of his existence.

The Route of Antonin constitutes an irreplaceable and very invaluable document; it releases the road axis more attended of Corsica joining along the Eastern coast the strategic points of the island: two cities, Mariana and Pallas, constituting the starting point and of arrival of the Route; a colony, Aleria, organizing center of Corsican space; a fort, Praesidium, with sedentary vocation and a port, Portus Favonus, with economic vocation.

But, one cannot find it easily, one notes some divergences in the distances; and, these errors which are not clean in Corsica do not prevent from proposing a layout in conformity of it with the old story of the island.

The Route of Antonin joined already existing points for the majority at least since Ier century before J. - C. It is the way which structure Eastern Corsica; it is a result of the Roman installation in Corsica, it is the result of a controlled “geographical policy”.

The Eastern side of the island remains the privileged place; that which makes it possible to cross Corsica of north to the south, with halts aménégées such as for example the thermal baths of Santa Laurina.

Concurrently to this Route, Corsica was also equipped with several roads, the secondary paths, and the ways of penetration towards the interior; those will be the subject of another study. With is 250 Roman sites, detected by Genevieve Moracchini Mazel, datable of the beginning of the imperial time for the majority of them and generally going up with Auguste, the beginning of Ier century after J. - C., how can one claim that ancient Corsica did not have any Roman way?

Admittedly, there still remains of the interrogations, but the results obtained are numerous and, they make it possible to open new prospects with research.

The studies to come are paramount: it will be interesting to know the physical structure of the Roman ways in Corsica; to undertake excavation campaigns in Migliarine, on the first heights of the commune of di Fium' Orbu Tightened, in Favona and Santa Ghjulia; to devote a study particular to works of art, bridges now disappeared and with milliary and to determine of advantage the role and the contribution of this ancient road in the organization of the landscape and town and country planning.

It is sure indeed that the archeology and the study of the history of the old landscapes can from now on inform more on this subject. Research on the Roman ways in Corsica does nothing but start and this work proposed to be the first stage about it.

Notes and references of the article

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