preview

Roman Roads

Good Essays

Roman Roads:
An Empire Connected

LVV4U1
December 16, 2013

“Man has always moved along a road. It’s just what the road has looked like that’s changed over time” (Dan McNichol). Some would say that the legacy of the Roman Empire is viewed as the foundation of civilization, having influenced every aspect of modern society, from literature to mathematics. Even today, Roman law and foundation of government forms the basis of several modern democracies. The ancient Empire`s monuments still stand millennia later, awing and inspiring us. Rome 's extraordinary achievements and the unparalleled string of influential people shaped the whole of Europe and even the rest of the world. Philosophers blame the success of the Empire on many …show more content…

Secondly, the construction of the roads greatly amplified the strength and stamina of the Roman soldiers. Augustus, the first Roman emperor, made it a policy that the soldiers were to keep busy, and therefore stay out of trouble, which meant that all of the free time that the soldiers had was utilized in the maintenance and the construction of the roads. Through the construction of the roads, the Romans became infamous for their strength and stamina, and were viewed across Europe as a deadly force to be reckoned with.

`It is no easy task to confine luxury within the limits of an empire. The most remote countries of the ancient world were ransacked to supply the pomp and delicacy of Rome` (Gibbon, 75). In addition to strengthening the military, the Roman roads also had numerous economic benefits. With over 53,000 miles of paved roads spanning across Europe, the Roman Empire was much more connected, and travel was considerably easier. This led to Rome becoming the centre of trade across Europe, with exotic goods coming in from every corner of the world. Aelius Aristides, a famous orator, is quoted to have said: ` Large continents lie around the Mediterranean Sea and never-ending supplies of goods flow from them to you [the Roman people]. Everything from every land and every sea is shipped to you . . . so that if anyone wanted to see all these things he would either have to travel the world or live in Rome. ` (La Bédoyère, 104). This statement was

Get Access