Engineering · Roman Empire Daily
At its height, the Roman road network ran to tens of thousands of miles of paved highways across three continents.
Deep dive
Built first for the army, roads like the Via Appia (begun 312 BC) connected the empire from Britain to the Near East. Estimates of the paved network run to roughly 80,000 km, with far more in lesser tracks. Milestones marked distances along the way.
Source: Standard surveys; the Via Appia is described by Livy, 'History of Rome,' 9.29.
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