Todd Sheffield

His 353/Clc 314 section 1

The Transportation Network of the Roman Empire
Roman antiquity is one of the biggest contributors to modern culture. It is studied far and
wide by scholars who examine the intricacies of how such a vast empire held itself together for
such a long period of time. If it were not for the Roman dominance of the West and Middle East,
then the world probably would not be at the technological level as it is today. They brought
many regions out of a more primitive state and presented them with what was, at the time, a
current and prosperous standard of living, and this transition occurred mainly through their
transportation network.
Almost every city-state and nation throughout history has tried to further their interests
through the control of large amounts of territory. The city of Rome was no exception to this, and
there are many factors that enabled the Romans to start the great empire that they were once
known for. Their logistical support, mainly through transportation, was perhaps the biggest
factor in allowing them to maintain control over such large quantities of land. Romes
transportation network allowed them to keep a smaller, yet efficient military, it fostered a
prosperous economy, encouraged the development of a courier system, and allowed for the
spreading of a common culture among the people.
Like most nations, Rome asserted its dominance through its military who quelled
rebellions and invasions through swift acts of violence. If a military is to be able to do this, it
must have a means of getting from place to place as swiftly as possible. Rome saw how
effective a road system could be in 312 BC while fighting the Samnite Wars. This commenced

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the construction of the Appian Way, the first proper Roman road, and it provided fast, reliable
communications and supply links between Rome and Capau., says Logan Thompson of History
Today. He also tells of how the army could march at speeds of twenty-five miles per day, even if
the weather was poor. The speed with which the military moved was a great deterrent for
rebellions in occupied settlements and invasions from outside the empire. For an extended
period of time, Rome maintained an army that contained 180,000 legionnaires, not including
auxiliaries, which is an incredibly small figure compared to the actual population size of the area,
estimated at fifty-five million (Thompson 22). The size of their military is not proportional to
their land size either. Most militaries today have a larger military per capita than the ancient
Romans, but the size of a military is not all that matters. Skill and the ability to effectively use
such power is what set the Romans apart from the rest of the world. If it were not for their
transportation network, the Romans very likely could have been overwhelmed in the event of an
invasion.
The engineers and surveyors who participated in the building of many roads were
typically associated with the military. Thompson commends the engineers who built the roads
because of their structural quality. They established a means of construction that would be
followed for about seven hundred years. They used the soldiers stationed nearby in the newly
acquired regions to do a great portion of the construction while they were not occupied with
other soldiering tasks. Slave labor helped with the construction in these new areas too
(Thompson 23). In more familiar territory, most of the labor came from the local population.
Since roads were considered a public works project, it only made sense for the public to
participate in the construction of the empires infrastructure. Locals prospered in the

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development of their regions by helping build roads, and politicians gained favor by
commissioning the building of these roads (Berechman). Economic stimulation was a byproduct
of the decision to build roads through settlements. Once the government saw how effective a
road system could be for the military, they began embracing it in other aspects of society such as
with the postal system and economic support.
The funding for such large projects as the construction of a road system is an interesting
topic associated with Roman territorial development, because in the modern world, the tax
payers typically pay for the development of public works through the money they give to the
government. While taxes existed in antiquity, much of what the government had financially was
gained through military campaigns, so generals and government officials contributed to the
funding of roads out of their own pockets. If the roads were to navigate through personal
property, then the land owner might have been responsible for the financing. Another source of
income came from the fines levied against the people who traveled on restricted roads without a
proper permit (Berechman). This concept of military and economic support is what influenced
the United States to implement an interstate highway system.
Economics plays a critical role in every society throughout history. Without a solid
financial base, most governments collapse, and the area they once controlled either breaks apart
into smaller countries or constant attempts are made by others to unify the nation under a
different regime. Rome had its fair share of economic troubles during times of war and while it
was ruled by reckless individuals, but it almost always found a way to regain its prestige.
The economy of Rome was heavily dependent upon agriculture. Much of Rome lived off
of subsistence farming, but little was produced in excess of that. There were some farms

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efficient enough to sell its surplus in the larger cities of the empire. This agricultural surplus
encouraged a population explosion during the mid second century (Berechman). Most of the
large population centers of the empire could not provide for its own people from the local
environment. Large cities such as Rome and Constantinople drew much of its grain from North
Africa by sea (Brown 12). For the purpose of feeding the masses in the cities and to make
money, large farmers would transport their crops to the cities. The chances of them transporting
such cargo would have been slim if there was no profit waiting for them upon arrival to these
urban centers with populations so dependent upon their goods. To increase the likelihood of
financial gain, many profiteers would send their loads by sea, since it cost less to bring a cargo
of grain from one end of the Mediterranean to another than to carry it another seventy-five miles
inland (Brown 13). Therefore, ports were built all across the coasts and along rivers to
accommodate sea trade in all territories. A load of over three thousand pounds could cover only
sixteen to twenty kilometers per day in a wagon at on flat ground travelling normally (Carreras
118). After all, approximately one third of the grain imported by Rome came from Egypt.
Shipping by sea sometimes ended disastrously for some as evidenced by archaeologists who
found large amounts of shipwreck clusters off the coasts of Italy, Sicily, France, and Spain
(Jackson).
As shown above, economics is heavily influenced by the logistical capacity of a nation.
While Rome did not necessarily build its network of roads for the development of its economy,
the road system definitely assisted in the maintenance and development of urban life. With the
construction of new highways also came the collection of towns in previously uninhabited areas.
Although as some roads were built through certain settlements and not others, it meant that some

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areas would prosper from the upgrade while others would suffer (Carreras 117). Transportation
by sea might have been the cheapest way to move goods through the empire, but not everyone
lived on coastal towns. Therefore, without the massive road network that linked seaports with
the hinterland, that level of trade could not have been sustained or have flourished (Berechman).
This is to say that the 55,000 miles of road built allowed the Romans to reach their maximum
geographical expansion (Thompson 22).
The government and the people of the empire found other ways to benefit from the road
network, and that was through the development of rest areas and a postal service. First instituted
by Augustus, the postal system enabled the military and Rome to feel closer because news
traveled at such greater speeds. If couriers rode constantly through daylight, it was possible to
achieve distances of up to eight hundred kilometers in one day. In order for couriers to stay
moving at a fast pace, stations called mutationes were built every twenty kilometers for riders to
change horses and mansios every forty kilometers which acted like modern day truck stops for
riders to stay the night and grab a meal (Carreras 119). Entrepreneurs erected inns and taverns
around every fifteen to twenty kilometers to provide lodging facilities for private travelers.
There were special facilities built where horses could rest or be traded, and road guides gave
directions and information about what to expect further up the roads. In addition to this, private
citizens gained access to the courier system for their own mail (Berechman).
With all of the major areas of the Roman Empire tied together, globalization-the blending
of cultures and identities with people from different geographical areas- became a reality for
many ethnic groups across the empire. The effects of globalization can be seen in the forms of
interprovincial trade after uniform coinage, standard weights and measures, and common

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laws being introduced (Berechman). It was not uncommon for the roads to be built as links to
Roman settlements while steering away from places of foreign culture (Carreras 126). This
enabled the promotion of the kind of culture Rome wanted across its territory. With decreased
traveling time for foreign items to get from one place to another, people started to identify with a
larger region instead of smaller geographical areas that their tribe occupied.
Today, if one were to travel to Rome, they could take the old Appian Way to visit the
famous catacombs outside the city (Berechman). Many of the roads that linked the empire with
the capital were so well designed that many still lie beneath the motorways of modern
Italy (Rome Transportation). The rail system, Train a Grand Vitesse, follows old Roman
routes that are more than two thousand years old (Carreras 117).
In conclusion, transportation is vital for any civilization to flourish. Initially, the Romans
used their system to meet the demands of its military by increasing its ability to supply itself and
to move more efficiently. A solid transportation infrastructure boosted the profits made by
merchants, which in turn increaded the revenue of the overall empire through taxes. With an
improved communication system in the empire, Roman military leaders could effectively control
their troops, and politicians could settle matters in a more timely basis. Since Romans controlled
mobility throughout their territory, it was easier for them to control cultural spreading where they
deemed fit and to choke out undesired cultures. Considering these facts, one can conclude that
the transportation network utilized by Rome allowed it to remain a force to be reckoned with for
many centuries.

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Works Cited
Berechman, Joseph. Transportation-Economic Aspects of Roman Highway Development: The
Case of Via Appia. Sciencedirect. N.p., June 2003. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Brown, Peter. The World of Late Antiquity. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1989. Print.
Carreras, Cesar and Pau De Soto. The Roman Transport Network: A Precedent for the
Integration of the European Mobility. Historical Methods 46.3 (2013): 117-33. Web. 19
Apr. 2014.
Kuhl, Jackson. All Road-And Seas-Lead to Rome. MasterFILE Premier. N.p., Jan. 2012. Web.
16 Apr. 2014.
Rome Transportation. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014 http://www.crystalinks.com/
rometransportation.html.
Thompson, Logan. Roman Roads. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.