Roman Roads and Bridges
Created | Updated Oct 28, 2003
Introduction
The Roman Empire lasted from 31 BC to c.476 AD and extended from what is now Iran to France, and what is now Great Britain to Egypt. It was one of the most powerful civilizations ever, and there were many skilled thinkers and doers in it which helped the Roman Empire advance much farther than any previous civilization had. Among their many achievements was the development of well designed roads and bridges, which allowed the Romans to conquer new territories and establish successful trade routes and a way for people to travel easily throughout the Empire.
Purpose
The Romans built their roads and bridges so that their military could travel faster than when they did when they went over rough terrain. Also, with a such a large empire, they needed a very orderly system of travel where they knew that all the paths would connect and the soldiers wouldn’t get stuck between two villages where a road or bridge had been washed out. Roman messengers also had to be able to travel swiftly from anywhere to Rome to get orders for the military, thus the saying "all roads lead to Rome." The reason that the soldiers needed to get from place to place so quickly was so that they could get more troops to a war zone, and so they could keep the peace (Pax Romanus).
Purpose for Such a Particular Style
The Romans had a very advanced military with cavalry, chariots, and foot soldiers, so they needed roads without too many bumps, narrow places, mud patches, and steep inclines, so the whole military could get to where they were trying to go. They also had to have bridges that could support a lot of weight and last for a very long time, because the roads and bridges took a very long time to build. It is because of this that there are still many Roman roads and bridges that are in use in Europe today.
To get their military to a place as quickly as possible, the roads were almost completely straight, unlike roads that came before them that were basically cow or walking paths, and would curve all over the place. To make the roads straight they had to invent strong bridges to go through rivers, lakes and streams, instead of going around them like earlier civilizations had. They also had to go through swamps and bogs, which is why they built the viaduct, which is basically a extremely long bridge.
Second Uses
Although roads and bridges were initially used for military purposes, they also were used for transporting trading goods and raw resources such as tin, copper and salt. All the people in Rome had specialized jobs, therefore, their system of trade was very important to them, and the bridges let merchants get to places that they either couldn’t have gotten to before, or places that it would have taken so long to get to that they just didn’t bother. This let the whole civilization advance more quickly.
The roads and bridges also helped political and intellectual trade because merchants would bring word of the most recent happenings in their city to a different one, and eventually the word would spread throughout the empire. The roads would let scholars travel from city to city more easily too, so it was easier for them to meet with each other and exchange ideas util they evolved into something big. In addition the roads helped messengers travel more quickly, so word could get to the places that the merchants had missed too.
Since all of the merchants, messengers and scholars were all constantly traveling the road, inns and other small businesses would start up along it so that the travelers could get everything that they needed. This caused even more people to travel the roads so they could bring supplies to the shops and other businesses, which helped the inn’s business, so there grew to be more and more things along the roads. Eventually these led to small towns which would also supply the major cities with food and other goods until the roads were supporting Rome’s economy.
The Arch
Some of the Roman’s most famous architectural discoveries were the arch, and how to build long lasting roads. The arch let them build temples, other buildings and bridges so that they were much stronger, and could support much more weight so the buildings could be much bigger. It was also much more durable than the post and lintel technique, so the buildings made of arches would last for a much longer time. The roads stretched across the empire, and let rain hit, and even elephants walk on them many times without ever wearing out.
The Builders
All of the roads in the Roman Empire were made by mostly soldiers and some slaves. They were the ones who built them because the soldiers needed training, and probably because they were the main people who used them. Of course, they didn’t do all the work by themselves, they got engineers and surveyors to do the planning and help cutting the stones, but they did most of the labor.
How the Roads Were Built
The Romans had a special technique of building roads and so that they were as sturdy as possible which is why many of them are still in use today. They started out by digging a deep hole and filling it with a layer of sand, then a layer of dirt, then a layer of gravel and concrete, and finally cobblestones would be laid on top. All of the roads rose slightly in their center so that when it rained on them, the water would just run off into ditches on either side. The roads would have varied in width, with the least frequently used roads being the narrowest, to the most used roads being fairly wide.
Types of Bridges
There were many different types of bridges in the Roman Empire, with different styles for temporary use and permanent ones. One of the most common temporary bridges was made by simply connecting a long line of boats together with wooden planks. The permanent ones however were far more complicated.
How Bridges Were Built and What They Were Built With
Before the engineers started planning the bridges and roads, whoever was in charge would have to get surveyors out to survey the land and decide where they were going to go. They had special tools that they would use to make sure that the roads were straight and that intersections were at exactly a 90 degree angle. Then they would show their plans to the engineers so they could get started planning what the actual road or bridge was going to be like.
For the planning, the person who was in charge of building the road or bridge would get an engineer or an architect and they would do most of the thinking. They would plan how tall, wide and long the bridge would be, and watch all the soldiers to make sure that they were doing the job correctly. They also had to make sure that the stones were cut correctly and that each on was going in its correct place.
When the Romans built a permanent bridge, they started out by connecting about 30 tree trunks together into a hexagon and sealing the cracks between them with mortar. Then they would lower the hexagon into the water and get all the water out of it so they would have a dry place to work. Next they would start building pilings that would go between the arches and support the whole bridge. To build the arches and the pilings they would build a lattice work of wood around the bridge and have cranes hoist the stones up to the workers. To build the actual arch, wooden arches of exactly the right size would be constructed and the stone arches would be placed on top of them and held together with mortar.
Most of the materials that were used to build the bridge came from nearby like the wood and probably most of the stone, but the mortar had to be transported in from somewhere else entirely. The Roman civilization was the first ever to discover mortar that didn’t melt in the rain or when it came in contact with water. Their mortar was made of a ground up volcanic stone mixed with water that when dry worked like cement.
When the Building Took Place
Most of the bridges and roads in the Roman Empire were built near its beginning because it did not expand very much as it got closer to its end. Most of the roads were built as the Empire expanded because the military needed to continue pushing farther and farther out to places that they had never been to before. Since a road was built to every new large city or area that was captured, there were roads and bridges throughout the Roman Empire, going as far as the military had conquered.
Conclusion
There are still many Roman roads and bridges left in the world today which shows just how sturdy and well built they were and still are. A lot of the surviving roads and bridges are still being used in their original form or have been paved over because they are cobblestone. They are famous worldwide for their straightness and how carefully built they were. All of this makes it obvious just how talented the Romans were at road and bridge building.
Bibliography
1) Ganeri, Anita. Focus on Romans. New York: Gloucester Press, 1992.
2) De Souza, Langley, Andrew, Phillip, ed. The Roman News. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.
3) Keegan, Thomas, ed. How Things Were Built. New York: Random House, 1992.
4) Koner, Guhl, E. W. The Romans. London: Senate, 1994.
5) http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Roman_Roads.htm
6) http://omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu:8080/classes/cla506.W99.mlm/Land_ %20Transportation.htm
The Roman Empire lasted from 31 BC to c.476 AD and extended from what is now Iran to France, and what is now Great Britain to Egypt. It was one of the most powerful civilizations ever, and there were many skilled thinkers and doers in it which helped the Roman Empire advance much farther than any previous civilization had. Among their many achievements was the development of well designed roads and bridges, which allowed the Romans to conquer new territories and establish successful trade routes and a way for people to travel easily throughout the Empire.
Purpose
The Romans built their roads and bridges so that their military could travel faster than when they did when they went over rough terrain. Also, with a such a large empire, they needed a very orderly system of travel where they knew that all the paths would connect and the soldiers wouldn’t get stuck between two villages where a road or bridge had been washed out. Roman messengers also had to be able to travel swiftly from anywhere to Rome to get orders for the military, thus the saying "all roads lead to Rome." The reason that the soldiers needed to get from place to place so quickly was so that they could get more troops to a war zone, and so they could keep the peace (Pax Romanus).
Purpose for Such a Particular Style
The Romans had a very advanced military with cavalry, chariots, and foot soldiers, so they needed roads without too many bumps, narrow places, mud patches, and steep inclines, so the whole military could get to where they were trying to go. They also had to have bridges that could support a lot of weight and last for a very long time, because the roads and bridges took a very long time to build. It is because of this that there are still many Roman roads and bridges that are in use in Europe today.
To get their military to a place as quickly as possible, the roads were almost completely straight, unlike roads that came before them that were basically cow or walking paths, and would curve all over the place. To make the roads straight they had to invent strong bridges to go through rivers, lakes and streams, instead of going around them like earlier civilizations had. They also had to go through swamps and bogs, which is why they built the viaduct, which is basically a extremely long bridge.
Second Uses
Although roads and bridges were initially used for military purposes, they also were used for transporting trading goods and raw resources such as tin, copper and salt. All the people in Rome had specialized jobs, therefore, their system of trade was very important to them, and the bridges let merchants get to places that they either couldn’t have gotten to before, or places that it would have taken so long to get to that they just didn’t bother. This let the whole civilization advance more quickly.
The roads and bridges also helped political and intellectual trade because merchants would bring word of the most recent happenings in their city to a different one, and eventually the word would spread throughout the empire. The roads would let scholars travel from city to city more easily too, so it was easier for them to meet with each other and exchange ideas util they evolved into something big. In addition the roads helped messengers travel more quickly, so word could get to the places that the merchants had missed too.
Since all of the merchants, messengers and scholars were all constantly traveling the road, inns and other small businesses would start up along it so that the travelers could get everything that they needed. This caused even more people to travel the roads so they could bring supplies to the shops and other businesses, which helped the inn’s business, so there grew to be more and more things along the roads. Eventually these led to small towns which would also supply the major cities with food and other goods until the roads were supporting Rome’s economy.
The Arch
Some of the Roman’s most famous architectural discoveries were the arch, and how to build long lasting roads. The arch let them build temples, other buildings and bridges so that they were much stronger, and could support much more weight so the buildings could be much bigger. It was also much more durable than the post and lintel technique, so the buildings made of arches would last for a much longer time. The roads stretched across the empire, and let rain hit, and even elephants walk on them many times without ever wearing out.
The Builders
All of the roads in the Roman Empire were made by mostly soldiers and some slaves. They were the ones who built them because the soldiers needed training, and probably because they were the main people who used them. Of course, they didn’t do all the work by themselves, they got engineers and surveyors to do the planning and help cutting the stones, but they did most of the labor.
How the Roads Were Built
The Romans had a special technique of building roads and so that they were as sturdy as possible which is why many of them are still in use today. They started out by digging a deep hole and filling it with a layer of sand, then a layer of dirt, then a layer of gravel and concrete, and finally cobblestones would be laid on top. All of the roads rose slightly in their center so that when it rained on them, the water would just run off into ditches on either side. The roads would have varied in width, with the least frequently used roads being the narrowest, to the most used roads being fairly wide.
Types of Bridges
There were many different types of bridges in the Roman Empire, with different styles for temporary use and permanent ones. One of the most common temporary bridges was made by simply connecting a long line of boats together with wooden planks. The permanent ones however were far more complicated.
How Bridges Were Built and What They Were Built With
Before the engineers started planning the bridges and roads, whoever was in charge would have to get surveyors out to survey the land and decide where they were going to go. They had special tools that they would use to make sure that the roads were straight and that intersections were at exactly a 90 degree angle. Then they would show their plans to the engineers so they could get started planning what the actual road or bridge was going to be like.
For the planning, the person who was in charge of building the road or bridge would get an engineer or an architect and they would do most of the thinking. They would plan how tall, wide and long the bridge would be, and watch all the soldiers to make sure that they were doing the job correctly. They also had to make sure that the stones were cut correctly and that each on was going in its correct place.
When the Romans built a permanent bridge, they started out by connecting about 30 tree trunks together into a hexagon and sealing the cracks between them with mortar. Then they would lower the hexagon into the water and get all the water out of it so they would have a dry place to work. Next they would start building pilings that would go between the arches and support the whole bridge. To build the arches and the pilings they would build a lattice work of wood around the bridge and have cranes hoist the stones up to the workers. To build the actual arch, wooden arches of exactly the right size would be constructed and the stone arches would be placed on top of them and held together with mortar.
Most of the materials that were used to build the bridge came from nearby like the wood and probably most of the stone, but the mortar had to be transported in from somewhere else entirely. The Roman civilization was the first ever to discover mortar that didn’t melt in the rain or when it came in contact with water. Their mortar was made of a ground up volcanic stone mixed with water that when dry worked like cement.
When the Building Took Place
Most of the bridges and roads in the Roman Empire were built near its beginning because it did not expand very much as it got closer to its end. Most of the roads were built as the Empire expanded because the military needed to continue pushing farther and farther out to places that they had never been to before. Since a road was built to every new large city or area that was captured, there were roads and bridges throughout the Roman Empire, going as far as the military had conquered.
Conclusion
There are still many Roman roads and bridges left in the world today which shows just how sturdy and well built they were and still are. A lot of the surviving roads and bridges are still being used in their original form or have been paved over because they are cobblestone. They are famous worldwide for their straightness and how carefully built they were. All of this makes it obvious just how talented the Romans were at road and bridge building.
Bibliography
1) Ganeri, Anita. Focus on Romans. New York: Gloucester Press, 1992.
2) De Souza, Langley, Andrew, Phillip, ed. The Roman News. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.
3) Keegan, Thomas, ed. How Things Were Built. New York: Random House, 1992.
4) Koner, Guhl, E. W. The Romans. London: Senate, 1994.
5) http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Roman_Roads.htm
6) http://omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu:8080/classes/cla506.W99.mlm/Land_ %20Transportation.htm
