1
All Roads Lead to Rome: An Analysis of Roman Road Engineering
Peter Doebler
HST 311: Rome Through The Ages
Richmond University – Rome
Erik Walters
21 April 2016
2
Introduction
Much celebrated for their military expertise, superb economical dominance
around the Mediterranean, and extreme forward thinking, the Roman Empire was a
dream for everyone trying to reach Rome’s magnificent epicenter. Desired by citizens
stretching from the Atlantic to Asia, Rome was the final destination for every traveler.
Perhaps as well known as the empires famous leaders like Julius Caesar, the Romans
developed a complex system of transportation just as famously recognized today. Roman
engineering of roadways was fascinating and unique, and played a huge role in the
dominance of the empire. Examining the specific roadways, how they were made, and
what they were used for will help to show the extreme effects that Roman roads had on
the economics, politics, and social activities within the great city of Rome. All roads led
to Rome for a reason, and they all held a significant impact and lesson for the world
today.
The Roman’s recognized that to grow an Empire you needed a large population
and a lot of trade. The best way to achieve these two objectives would be to establish
effective routes of transportation into the city, therefore, the engineering of roadways
become a crucial responsibility for the empire. To start, they built upon ancient routes
created a colossal number of new ones. As a result, engineers became audacious to
connect cities together in as straight a line as possible. Signifying their power, the wide
expanse of roads established a clear indicator of the Roman’s desire for additional power
and respect amongst the world. Covering about 75,000 miles, the expansive network of
public Roman roads greatly assisted the movement of people, armies, and goods across
3
the empire.1 Thus, greatly increasing trade and bringing more and more people into the
city of Rome.
While the Roman’s did not invent roads themselves, they certainly mastered the
concept of engineering and redefining the highway system of the time. “Roads were
important to Rome even before her inhabitants started building new ones. The city arose
where ancient routes converged at the only existing ford of the lower Tiber River”.
1
The
first great Roman Via Publica, or highway, was the Via Appia. Built in 312 BC by
Appius Claudius Caecus, the Appian way covered 132 miles and connected Rome to
Brindisi, which was a port city connecting the Roman’s to the east. Much like a modern
highway, the Via Appia was referred to as the ‘Regina Viarum’ or ‘Queen of Roads’ and
is famous for its pencil shaped straightness.2 This street still exists today and continues
to be incessantly traversed. As the empire grew, the roads became a staple of Europe
rather than simply Italy alone, “The network gradually spread across the empire from
Britain to Syria and certain roads became as well-known and well-travelled as those
around Rome itself.”
2
Connecting Italy with the Via Flaminia (which stretched to the
Adriatic sea), Via Aurelia (which stretched to Gaul), and Via Ostiensis (which stretched
to Ostia, Rome’s large port city for business to and from Africa), the Via Appia began a
large, complex system of roadways expanding the city amongst the Italian peninsula as
well as Europe.
3
“Their numerous feeder roads extending far into the Roman provinces
1
The Watchtower. “Roman Roads-Monuments to Ancient Engineering.” Roman Roads-Monuments to
Ancient Engineering — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. N.p., 2006. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
<http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2006764>.
2
Cartwright, Mark. “Roman Roads.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.ancient.eu/article/758/>.
3
The Watchtower. “Roman Roads-Monuments to Ancient Engineering.” Roman Roads-Monuments to
Ancient Engineering — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. N.p., 2006. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
<http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2006764>.
led to the proverb ‘All roads lead to Rome’”.
4
With time, the road system eventually
spread from Britain to Syria, connecting all of Europe. “In Gaul alone, no less than
21,000 km of road are said to have been improved, and in Britain at least 4,000 km.”
5
Looking at another example, the Via Domitia, which began construction in 116 BC,
stretched from the French Alps to the Pyrenees mountains. It was a pivotal route for
Roman troop movements in their campaigns throughout Spain and much of Western
Europe. Looking at Eastern Europe, the Via Egnatia, which began in the mid-second
century BC, crossed the Balkan Peninsula and ended at Byzantium. This was perhaps the
most important route connecting Eastern to Western Europe, and was highly popular for
spreading trade across the two sides.
6
At its height, the empire had more than 29 military
highways and connected nearly 113 provinces across Europe, with around 372 total road
connections.5
The remarkable construction of Roman roadways took place over around 7 centuries.
Once there was an economic decline in the empire, however, the roadway system began
