The Roman historian Greco Strabone recognized the greatness of Rome which is based on the existence of three works made by the Romans themselves: aqueducts, streets and cloaks . The Empire, well before being Empire, understood the importance of bringing water to urban centers, as well as to dispose of waste water, responsible beyond the many epidemics of the Middle Ages. The expansion of the Roman people was made possible by the roads: a network that began with connecting the whole of Italy and then the rest of the European countries conquered.
The roads built by the Romans quickly connected all Italy, allowing the army and merchants to get from one end to the other.
The road project of Rome aimed to do things in great detail: in August 20 laid a bronze coated column in the Roman Forum, from which ideally all the streets of Rome were leaving.
image: Lalupa / Wikimedia
Even today the remains of the base of the column are visible on the site, while the column itself is kept in the Capitol.
image: MM / Wikimedia
The roads were built straight: they bowed only in the course of natural obstacles.
image: Conrad Cichorius / Wikimedia
On a bas-relief of the Trajan’s Column, the process of building a road is carved.
But the greatness of the streets of Rome is also in the fact that in centuries they are still being used and are in perfect condition.
image: thinglink.com
To build the roads, it was first excavated up to a meter deep . The bottom layer was called Statumen and consisted of a tall layer of at least 30 cm of large rounded stones. The next layer was the Rudus, made up of smaller stones (crushed stone) mixed with heavy-grain concrete. This last part was well-grounded to take the base of the road. The penultimate layer was made of mortar, sand and pomegranate: in this mixture were sunk the basolets, large smooth volcanic stones, which were joined together and in the underlying layer to ensure perfect carriage.
In the past, the crevices between the basins were filled form a smooth road cover. Today the filler has worn and the stones appear detached from each other.
image: Nicolò Musmeci / Wikimedia
The roads were walked on horseback, on foot, or in diligence.
image: Nicolas von Kospoth / Wikimedia
The Romans had also set up a postal service. Workers traveled on a two-wheeled cart pulled by a horse called Cisium.
image: London, Chapman and Hall / Wikimedia
The Romans then built roads throughout Europe on which the most modern ones were built.
image: onageografia.deascuola.it
The roads guarantee communication: the Romans understood their importance and guaranteed to all well-kept roads was a priority!
Source – Wikipedia Romanoimpero
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