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 in terms of being able 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.

Table of contents
1 Some Roman roads
2 External link

Some Roman roads

There are many examples of roads that still follow the route of Roman roads.

France

Greece

Italy

the name of these (all active today) roads is derived from the censor that ordered their construction

Spain

United Kingdom

External link