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The Romans, as a military, commercial and political expedient, became
adept at constructing long straight roads. The Roman roads were essential
for the growth of their empire, by virtue of enabling them to speedily move
armies. The Roman emphasis on constructing straight roads often resulted in steep grades
relatively impractical for most economic traffic. These lengthy highways were very important in maintaining both the stability
and expansion of the empire.
The Roman roads often used deep roadbeds of crushed stone as a underlaying layer to
ensure that they kept dry, as the water would flow out from the crushed stone, instead of becoming mud in clay soils. The
legions made good time on these roads and some are still used millennia later.
A popular proverb says that "every road leads to Rome". Roman roads were designed
that way to hinder provinces organising resistance against the Empire.
Some Roman roads
There are many examples of roads that still follow the route of Roman roads.
- Via Appia, the Appian way (312
BC), from Rome to Apulia (Puglie)
- Via Aurelia (241 BC), from Rome to France
- Via Cassia, from Rome to Tuscany
- Via Julia Augusta
(8 BC),
- Via
Claudia Julia Augusta (13 BC)
- Via Aemilia, from Piacenza
to Rimini
- Via Aemilia Scaura (109 BC),
- Via Flaminia,
- Via Postumia (148),
- Via Salaria, from Rome to the
Adriatic Sea (in Marches)
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- the name of these (all active today) roads is derived from the censor that
ordered their construction
For main article see Roman roads in Britain
External link
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