Roman Roads

Roman Roads, extensive network of well-engineered roads which, in ancient Roman times, linked Rome to every part of the Roman Empire. As such, they were an essential element in the conquest, control, and administration of far-flung Roman territories. A system of informal tracks may be presumed to have connected the cities of Italy from earliest times, and it is from the construction of the Appian Way in 312 bc that the building of formal roads may be dated.

The main functions of the Roman road system were initially concerned with the needs of the army: to supply garrisons in Italy and in the Roman provinces and to facilitate the rapid movement of troops. For this reason, under the Roman Republic, the building and maintenance of roads was made the responsibility of those officials who held military command. Under the empire, the roads were developed to support an efficient system of official posts and messengers: at regular intervals were stations for changing horses (mutationes) and inns for overnight halts (mansiones). The burden of maintenance now fell upon the municipal authorities, each town being responsible for the roads which ran through its territory. The twin objects of troop movement and efficient communications remained the basic purposes of the road system: for economy, the bulk of the empire's commerce was, wherever possible, carried by water.

Roman roads were legendarily straight. This attribute is in fact sometimes exaggerated: in mountainous country, directness of route was often sacrificed for ease of gradient, but it is certainly true that, on fairly level ground, the military surveyors preferred routes which often ran arrow-straight for many miles. The materials of which the roads were built varied according to what was available locally, but as a general rule a heavy foundation of rubble or boulders was laid down and capped by a surface of finer material, usually gravel. Exceptionally, roads might be paved, according to the particular importance of the route or the local availability of materials: the roads of cut lava blocks in the area around Rome are an example of this.

Major roads were flanked by drainage ditches on each side. These (which needed regular cleaning and recutting) defined the width of the road, which was generally a standard gauge of either 19 m (about 20 yd) or 27 m (about 30 yd). Between the ditches the road took the form of a low embankment (the agger) which sloped down towards each edge to create a pronounced camber for more efficient drainage. At intervals along many routes stood inscribed stone distance posts or milestones. Rivers were often crossed by bridges, which ranged from the simple pontoon bridge of boats to monumental, multi-arched stone structures.

The network of Roman roads is one of the lasting achievements of the ancient world. Many major routes in Western Europe today follow the lines originally laid out by Roman military surveyors. Among the best-known Roman roads in Britain are Watling Street (running from London to Wroxeter), Ermine Street (from London to York), and the Fosse Way (from Exeter to Lincoln).