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Roman roads were one of the greatest achievements of the engineering genius of the Romans. The network built by the Romans facilitated the movement of legions, facilitated trade, and allowed faster transmission of information by means of state mail organized along roads (cursus publicus). Numerous sections of Roman roads have survived to this day.
Military, commercial and political needs forced the Romans to create a wide road network. The road through the Romans was called via, in the plural viae.
The first roads were created as early as the 4th century BCE and were modelled on those built by the Etruscans. These routes led to neighbouring cities in Latium and Etruria. These were, among others, leading to Ostia, Via Ostiensis, leading to Laurentum, Via Laurentina and Via Ardeatina, which could reach Ardea. Their surface, however, was made of compacted soil, and the roads themselves matched the terrain. So these were not yet examples of Roman genius.
The first truly Roman road was already paved via Appia, started in 312 BCE by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus, which connected two large cities, Rome with Capua. The road was laid out in such a way as to shorten the distance to a minimum. For this purpose, a road was created, which stretched for kilometres in a straight line, according to the Roman plan. Another important element of this road was the huge viaduct over the Arriccia Valley. The creation of Via Appia also brought a new precedent, naming the road from the name of the official who ordered its construction.
Roads were built by praetors and consuls. In the provinces, this function was performed by propraetores and proconsuls. This group also includes censors, who, however, erected roads only around Rome. During the empire, the roads were supervised by the emperor, who issued decisions on their construction or renovation. Even during the republic, road supervision was entrusted to special officials, curatores viae. This office was reorganized by August, who in 20 BCE established new curatores viarum. They supervised the construction works on the roads and determined the scope of necessary maintenance works and oversaw their implementation. Subprocuratores and tabularii, emperor’s freedmen who kept the accounts, helped them with the classes. From the second century CE to the duties of inspectors, the provision of food was also added.
In the following centuries, the desire to obtain the shortest distance was a characteristic feature of Roman road construction. It forced builders to build numerous bridges, viaducts, embankments, excavations and tunnels.
Bridges were very important to the Romans. The title of the high priest – Pontifex Maximus, literally means “the highest bridge-builder”. Beautiful Roman bridges have survived in Spain, min. in Martorell, Merida, Salamanca, Toledo and Alcantara. We know the name of the creator of the latter exceptionally. He was Gaius Julius Lacer, who was so attached to the work that he had been buried nearby. He also ordered to carve on the arch of the bridge: “PONTEM PERPETUI MANSARUM AND SAECULA MUNDI FECIT DIVINA NOBILIS ARTE LACER” (“The illustrious Lacer, with divine art, made the bridge to last forever in the ages of the perpetual world.”). Many bridges, although with a slightly changed appearance, have survived to this day in Italy and Asia Minor.
Over time, Roman roads evolved into a huge communication system, which together with the sea routes merged into an empire stretching for thousands of kilometres on three continents. Research carried out at the request of Emperor Diocletian on the length and number of Roman roads showed the existence of 372 roads with a total length of 52.819 Roman miles in the empire or 85,004 kilometres.
The most famous roads of Italy include: via Appia, via Aurelia, via Flaminia, via Salaria.
Latin road names |
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Milestones
By the roads, milestones (miliarium) were set up, according to the Roman mile, i.e. every 1478, 5 meters. Their name comes from milia passuum, meaning “one-thousandth of pieces”. Their goal was naturally to inform about the distance to specific places. Every 5 miles, so-called a courier stone (lapides tabulari) for orientation when travelling quickly.
The first milestones were built during the construction of via Appia, but their regular construction along the roads took place only after 124 BCE. The milestone was a round column with a solid, rectangular base embedded in the earth by about 60 cm. The column itself was 1, 50 m and 50 cm in diameter. Together, the whole structure weighed almost 2 tons. The stones were usually made of marble, granite or local stone, and then concrete. The base had a mile number, and at eye level on the column the distance to the Roman Forum. Other official parts of the column contain other official information about renovations made to date.