HISTORY122 - Ancient Roman Roads
My last blog on the history of road signs introduced me to the awesome road system of the ancient Romans. Right then, I knew that was my next blog subject. After an introduction, that includes a short history of Rome’s growth, I will discuss the history of the Roman road system: Why the Roman Road System was so Important , Construction and Engineering, Infrastructure and Road Services, Vehicles and Transportation, Decline and Legacy, and Conclusions. As usual, I will list my principal sources at the end. Introduction The history of Roman roads began with the Roman Republic’s military expansion in the 4 th century BC and resulted in a vast, highly engineered network that was crucial to maintaining and administering the Roman Empire. To put the history of Roman roads in perspective, here is a short summary of the growth of Rome. Rome was founded around 753 BC as a small settlement, a monarchy. In 509 BC ., t he monarch...