It is primarily known for the
Battle of Cannae, in which the numerically superior Roman army suffered a disastrous defeat by
Hannibal in 216BC. 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 , and the remains of an unimportant Roman town still exist upon the hill known as . In the
Middle Ages, probably after the destruction of in the 9th century, it became a
bishopric, and again saw military action in the
second battle of Cannae, twelve centuries after the more famous one (1018). The Byzantine , , successfully drove off the invading Lombard and Norman army. The town was wrecked in 1083 by
Robert Guiscard, who left only the cathedral and bishop's residence, and was ultimately destroyed in 1276. == See also ==