Citation

Lopez RS. Past Present 1956; 9(1): 17-29.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1956, Past and Present Society, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/past/9.1.17

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

For centuries the Roman road system was admired without reserve, but today we have entered a period of severe criticism. Because recently become fashionable to stress the defects of the Roman roads the reaction is perhaps as excessive as was the praise of the past any rate it is easy to account for their good and bad qualities. They were planned and maintained not by merchants with my soldiers and civil servants who were cheaply concerned that administrative centers and points of should be solidly linked by indestructible and reliable communications. That network of roads should be convenient and economic was not of their business. Precipitous roads along the mountain crest's brother than in the valley bottoms sometimes driving straight for their goals over gradients of one and five. But the main roads indestructible with the foundation of large stones modern more layers of gravel or pounded brick in the surface of the large blocks. Such rigid services, in which the sun and rain opened large cracks, the games of slaves or continuous work by those obliged to finish road synthesis to the state and even so they were unsuitable for heavy or brought vehicles. On the other hand even if nothing was left for the roadbed, infantry, Calvary and pack animals could still pass along and if bridges were often lacking it was always possible to Ford or ferry the rivers...

Language: en