Roman roads


A general description of Roman roads, including maps of their extent and use. A dedicated section has been reserved for aspects of construction techniques of Roman roads
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Roman roads permitted a rapid movement of the Romans’ troops to where they were most needed. They also permitted local trade and faster communications, to the point that a veritable postal system also took shape during various periods of the empire.
The famous motto “All Roads lead to Rome” is a witness of how significant the Roman road network really was. The motto alludes to the way in which a number of roads radiate out from the centre of Rome, from the Capitol in fact, where the mile 0 was measured from.
There were seven roads major roads which lead out of Rome. The first of these “Consular roads” was started by Appius Claudius who was Censor in 312BC (he also started the first aqueduct) and was named after him: The Appian way.
The Appian way is considered the first of the Roman roads, particularly because of the new conception of direct means communications. It was in fact preceded by two existing routes to the north of Rome: the Via Tiberina and the Via Salaria, both of which are rather more tortuous as they followed the Tiber valley. The first derived its name from the Tiber itself whilst the second gained its name from the Sabine salt trade (sale=salt) which moved along it (the myth of the Roman rape of the Sabine women seems to be an allusion to the Roman taking of the profitable salt trade).
The Romans clearly understood the importance of good foundations as a basis for the quality and durability of the final result. Where possible this implied digging down into the ground a couple of feet in order to rest the work onto a more solid base. This itself would be compacted and prepared with sand and compacted stones. Where necessary drainage and other hydraulic works would be installed underneath the road level, particularly in totally new urban areas. Where solid ground was not available a stronger foundation could be provided through wooden piles and “tramlines” over which the road would be laid.
Certainly, volcanic lava basalt rock was used around central Italy, which has a volcanic geology, but the weight of the block and the labour required to lay them meant that in many areas the road could have different types of surface and differing degrees of durability. Each of the lava rocks employed in the more durable roads was some 1½ ft (45cm) in length, breadth, and height and weighed about as much as a person! It is not so surprising therefore that the first consular road, the Appian Way, is only said to have been completed with slabs well into the second century: nearly 500 years after it was started! (Have to say that modern roadworks don’t seem to fare much better…)
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"Ancient Rome" was written by Giovanni Milani-Santarpia for www.mariamilani.com - Ancient Rome History
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