Roman Roads by Marianne Yankelewitz
Roman Roads
The Roman Empire was very large. It included Europe, some of Asia and even
some of Africa. It included practically the entire known world at the time. Because of that
the empire needed roads, roads that would connect it all. (Wilbur Cross Latin)
The Roman roads were a huge part of the development of the Roman Empire,
from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman
Empire. It is often said that "all roads lead to Rome," and in fact, they once did. In
Ancient Rome, Rome was the heart of the empire. Each time a new city was conquered, a
road was built from that city back to Rome. (princeton.edu)
The road system of the Ancient Romans was one of the greatest engineering
accomplishments of its time. Civilians then and now use them for a lot of purposes.
(thinkquest.org) It is important to know that Roman roads were one of the main features
that allowed the growth of the empire.
What are they made of?
When the Romans were going to build a road, they
first checked if the land they are going to use has any trees
or obstacles, so the road could be straight. The roads were
mostly built on top of an agger (embankment).
“Putting big blocks of stone that kept fixed by their own weight made the building
of roads. However, this system was improved and we know its building thanks to
Vitruvius, who explained how to construct a road. To its building the Romans defined
the route and they marked two parallel furrows separated each other 2,5 metres; they dug
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the space between the furrows and they filled the hole with four layers of different
materials, being the last layer the pavement; the layers were first the statumen (big rolling
stones), second the rudus (medium-sized rolling stones), third the nucleus –(crushed
stones with small rolling stones) and, finally, the pavimentum orsumma crusta (big plane
flagstones). All these layers as a whole were 1 meter deep and the durability and the
strength of the road resided in its foundations, its first layer. Nevertheless, every zone
needed a thicker or thinner layer of statumen: in Africa and in the mountain passes it was
hardly ever used, but in the rest of Europe it was very necessary; in addition,
the statumen had to be thicker where there was more traffic in order to not to be
damaged. Depending on the ground, the Roman sometimes put trunks in the sides to
hold the road structure; this is the case of the marshy zones, for example in Britannia
(Ancient Britain).” (catedu.es)
Basic Facts
The Roman roads used to be four meters wide; although in some events they
could be even more than six meters wide. In general, in the access to Rome they were
twelve meters wide with a third of the surface dedicated to sidewalks. The builders made
the road bug enough to fit a roman chariot with two horses.
The roads were built in straight lines, regardless of obstacles. Many roads had
gutters. Along the side of the road, the Romans built road signs called milestones.
Milestones told how far it was back to Rome.
To avoid an accumulation of water on the roads, which could suppose their cavein, the Roman made the roads tilted, so that the rain water evacuated to the outside of the
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Roman Roads by Marianne Yankelewitz
roads and it would not keep the water held up in the middle of the road. They dug a small
drainage channel, fossa, in both sides of the road, two or three meters away from the
road, without vegetation to accumulate this rainwater. For the same reason, the Romans
usually constructed their roads on an agger, one meter high, to eliminate the water and to
have a better view of the area when the Roman Army crossed it. (catedu.es)
Information
Apparently a person could travel from Spain to Greece without stepping of a road.
For seven centuries, the building of Roman Roads continued nonstop and were well
maintained, until economic decline and external pressure began to give way. By the fall
of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, the condition of the roads aligned the
circumstances of the empire. Many roads fell into disuse, ruined, or disrepair throughout
that time. (unrv.com)
The engineers and builders of the Ancient Roman Roads built an unparalleled
network of roads in the ancient world. They were approximately 50,000 miles of roads
throughout the Roman Empire, spreading its legions, culture and massive influence
throughout the world. (unrv.com)
At the very end of the Roman Empire, The Roman road system spanned more
than 400,000 km of roads, including over
80,500 km of paved roads. When Rome reached
the height of its power, no fewer than 29 great
military highways radiated from the city. Hills
were cut through and deep chasms filled in. At
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one point, the Roman Empire was divided into 113 provinces crossed with 372 great road
links. In Gaul, a ancient western roman region, alone no less than 21,000 km of road are
said to have been improved, and in Britain at least 4,000 km. (princeton.edu)
Types of Roads
Roman Roads were classified as how they were made, different uses and sizes.
They were different types of Roman Roads. They are 14 general types. One of them is
called an Agger, which is a built pass, or a causeway. Another type of a road is an
Angiportus, which is an alley, or a narrow street. Callis is a type of road also. It is a
footpath, pass and track. Other type of Roman Road is a Clivus, a sloping street. A
Crepido is a pavement. An Iter is a route, passage and walkway. Limes are another type,
which is a path between a field, boundary line or a frontier line. Another type of them is a
Pervium, which is a thoroughfare. A Platea is a normal type of street. A Semita is a path.
A Strata was special road, or street, only for vehicles. One of the types are Trames, which
is a crossway, by-path, or footpath. The most famous type of roads is Viae, plural of via,
which are highways. Last, but not least, a vicus was a city street. The majority of these
types were minor, the most used and the most common one was the Viae.
The Viae, Latin for “way”, had 4 types of highways. The first one and most
common one is the Viae Publicae, which were public highways built at public expense.
Another type of Viae are the Viae Militares. They were military highways built by the
army at their own expense but they fell into the Viae Publicae. The Actus were minor
highways built and maintained by local councils. Finally the Privatae were the private
roads built by individuals at their own expense at their own property. (mariamilani.com)
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Roman Roads by Marianne Yankelewitz
Purpose
The Roman Roads were used for many things in the past and also today. Even
though the Roman road system was originally built to make easier the movement of
troops throughout the empire, people then and now definitely used it for other purposes
too.
In the past, the soldiers marched in the roads toward their battlefield to conquer or
fight other republics or empires. A good road system also made it easier for the emperors
to control their empire, like messages, orders, and news could be sent quickly.
Rome made a great deal of money from trade in Europe. Some of this trade involved
transport by sea. More frequently, the Romans used roads. (historylearningsite.co.uk) As
well, roads provided quick transportation for materials and allowed the trading to be
much easier. (Wilbur Cross Latin)
“Roads were built or rebuilt by the Romans throughout the empire in Europe,
Asia, and Africa. Many modern roads are laid out on their routes, and some of the old
roads are still in use. Examples of Roman roads exist near Rome and elsewhere. Their
primary purpose was military, but they also were of great commercial importance and
brought the distant provinces in touch with the capital.” (Yahoo) Now, in modern day,
it’s used for traveling from place to place, for seeing how did romans travel, or just
simply walking for sightseeing.
Influence in Modern Day
Perhaps one of the most visible signs of Roman Influence in modern culture is the
Roman Roads. Before the Roman Empire, roads as we know them today, did not exist. In
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ancient times there two means of travel, one foot or horseback through the country, and
ships. In order to connect the capital to minor cities and make travel easier, roads were
built. The Via Appia, Rome’s first national highway, stretched 32,000 miles from the
capital to Rome’s southern province of Campania. The construction of these roads was
careful and calculated. Measuring tools were used to make sure they were straight,
regardless of obstacles. Once a course was laid, a trench was dug and lined with rocks.
Then the trench was filled with boulders and sand. Then came a layer of gravel
compacted with clay. Finally, thick paving stones were laid, angled to allow water to run
off to the sides. These roads were incredibly organized; connecting them to Rome is a
way that had been impossible before. When looking at Via Appia, one is struck by the
surprising resemblance it has to a modern road. The idea of paving a path from one place
to another was not a modern idea, but has been around since ancient times. Whether they
are cobblestone or asphalt, roads were a Roman idea that has shaped the way we travel
today. (messiah.edu) Some of roads were so well constructed that they are still used by
people in this day.
Conclusion
The Roman Empire was very large. It touched Europe, Asia and Africa. It was a
really big empire. Because of that the empire needed roads, roads that would connect it
all. Roman roads were made really good. Roman roads were so well made that they
lasted for centuries.
There are several Romans roads that are still in use today in Europe, for example
in England there is a Via in Warwickshire. This road was built in 43 AD after the Roman
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Roman Roads by Marianne Yankelewitz
conquered Britannia. This road and a lot of roads too, were used and it’s used now for
transportation. The most famous road was the Via Appia just outside of the city of Rome.
It still has the original paving stones. In other parts of Europe they are still a lot of parts
of the Roman roads and some sections are well conserved, even some roads are complete.
The romans were the first people to build a road and a road system, so without
them, we wouldn’t have roads today. They teached us how to build a road and we have
used that method of building roads ever since. It is important to know that Roman roads
were one of the main features that helped the growth of the Roman Empire.
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Roman Roads by Marianne Yankelewitz
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Photo Credits:
O'Donnell, Kelly. The Appian Way. Digital image. Roman Roads and the Appian Way.
N.p., n.d. Web.
<http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/projects/classof2008/chong2/odonnell/r
omanroads.htm>.
Rothermel, Christopher. Roman Road. Digital image. Roman Technology. N.p., 19 Dec.
2011. Web. 27 May 2013. <http://blog.cvsd.k12.pa.us/titus/2011/12/19/romantechnology/>.
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