- Roman roads weren’t as uniformly straight as commonly thought, according to a digital reconstruction of the vast ancient road network that challenges centuries-old assumptions.
- Last year, Brughmans and his colleagues used topographic mapping, satellite imagery and historical sources to create a map of the Roman road network totaling almost 300,000 kilometres in length.
- The team used the map’s dataset to analyze the topography and structure of ancient roads in terms of their slope, elevation, orientation and straightness.
- The analysis revealed that Roman roads were mostly straight, but generally only in places where the landscape permitted, such as lowland regions in western Europe and North Africa.
- In mountainous regions, roads were less straight than modern roads, probably due to topography and technology limitations.
- Around 90 per cent of Roman roads were built with a slope gradient that could permit the passage of animal-driven carts and wagons – including through the Alps.
- The study found that provincial capitals consistently served as key crossroads, mediating overland communications in their respective provinces, not Rome as the central hub.
- The study also found variable continuity of Roman roads into modernity, with some surviving and others disappearing.
- The overall takeaway is that, because the Roman road grid was so extensive, generalized assumptions will probably fall short of describing these ancient networks.
- The connection between Roman and modern roads wasn’t as strong as previously believed, with some older roads surviving while others simply disappeared over time.
- Brughmans noted that the Roman road system itself came from earlier routes and evolved with the empire, as well as the societies that followed the Romans.
- Brughmans stated that this research reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg: the Roman road system is way more extensive than even their work reveals.
Roman roads were found to be less straight than commonly assumed, according to a study that analyzed 185,896 miles of the ancient network. Researchers from Aarhus University utilized topographic mapping and satellite imagery to challenge the notion that all roads lead to Rome.124
The study, published in Nature Communications, indicates that while many Roman roads were straight, this was primarily in regions where the landscape allowed it, such as lowlands in western Europe and North Africa. In contrast, roads in mountainous areas were less straight due to topographical challenges and technological limitations.
“This suggests that the Romans were dedicated to maintaining and improving overland accessibility and connectivity on an empire-wide scale,” said researcher Brughmans. The analysis also revealed that around 90 percent of Roman roads were built with a slope gradient suitable for animal-driven carts, facilitating transport across challenging terrains like the Alps.6
The findings also challenge the idea that Rome was the central hub of the empire, with provincial capitals playing significant roles in communication and trade. “Not all roads lead to Rome,” Brughmans noted, emphasizing the broader distribution of the road network across the empire.7
The research highlights that the Roman road system was the first continental-scale transport network in history, crucial for the movement of goods, people, and ideas. “The roads reveal so much more than Roman emperors’ politics and military campaigns: they shaped the lives of the ‘silent majority,’” Brughmans explained.11
The study concludes that the Roman road system is more extensive than previously understood, with many roads evolving over time and some disappearing entirely.
“The digital reconstruction revealed that around 90 per cent of Roman roads had a slope gradient suitable for animal-driven carts, even through the Alps. Provincial capitals, not Rome, served as key crossroads, and the network's continuity into modernity varied, with some roads disappearing entirely.”
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