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Roman Roads
Facts about
Roman Roads
Who built the Roads? The
soldiers of the Roman army travelled all across the Empire
by necessity and provided all of the required labour. The
roads were built as follows:
Fact 1: Roads were generally laid out
in a straight line, although sometimes they followed the natural
curves of the terrain
Fact 2: Ancient surveying techniques
using 'Sighting Marks' were employed
Fact 3: The land was first cleared of
any trees
Fact 4: A trench was dug where the
road was to go which was then filled with big stones creating an
embankment
Fact 5: Roman roads were generally
built on top of an embankment (called an Agger)
Romans were the first to build
roads on this foundation basis *** The foundation, or Agger,
contained a layer of rubble with stones which were laid in such a
way to provide drainage
Fact 6: A middle section which
consisted of a layer of sand or gravel was laid on the foundation
Fact 7: The top surface were paved
with gravel or flint and small broken stones
Fact 8: There were ditches on either
side so that water could drain away
Fact 9: Road widths measured between 8
and 40 feet - wide enough to take a Roman chariot with two horses. There were even lay-bys
allowing other chariots past!
Roman Roads in Britain
Many miles of roads were built by the Romans in Britain. The
first great ancient road to be built in Britain was called
the 'Fosse Way'. The Fosse Way extended from Exeter to
Lincoln, passing through the towns of Bath, Gloucester, and
Leicester. Ermine Street was the name of the Roman road that ran
from London to Lincoln and York. The third major Roman road
in Britain was called Watling Street which ran from London
to Shrewsbury, in central England. Some of the main London
roads of today still follow the routes of the first great ancient
Roman Roads. The ancient Roman Silchester Road is today
followed by Oxford Street, Bayswater Road and Notting Hill.
Roman Roads
The content of this Roman Roads
category on life in Ancient Rome provides free educational
details, facts and information for reference and research
for schools, colleges and homework. Refer to the
Colosseum Sitemap for a comprehensive search on interesting
different categories containing the history, facts and
information about Ancient Rome. Just like the subject of
Roman Roads there is hardly a page of Roman history and the Romans
that is not, on
some way, connected to the Roman Colosseum which became a
symbol of Rome, its society, culture and life.
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