It would be nice to build a road that will not fall apart, crack and not be covered with holes within 5 years of operation. Better yet, 10 years. One can only dream of a road for a century or even a century. What about a road that will last two thousand years? You think this is impossible. But the Romans were actually able to do something similar. Let's find out all the "dirty" secrets of antique road construction.
The main sign of civilization
It's hard to believe now, but one and a half thousand years ago it was possible to travel comfortably throughout the Mediterranean on paved roads without much difficulty. For seven centuries of their history, the Romans stretched out paved roads with a total length of almost two earthly equators. The high quality road network was one of the greatest achievements of their civilization. Surprisingly, the cobwebs of modern European highways quite closely match the ancient cobwebs of Roman roads.
The road is primarily a military facility.
The most important buildings.
Of course, there were more than just paved roads in Rome. There were also unpaved and unpaved gravel roads. However, it was the paved ones that were one of the symbols of the power of the state. First of all, the road was considered an important strategic structure, since thanks to it it became possible to move the foot troops as quickly as possible. An intensive march of infantry in columns at a speed of 4-5 km / h is possible only along a good track with a flat surface. For this reason, at all times, Roman roads were built mainly by legionnaires.
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How was the construction
How were Roman roads built? A fairly detailed description of the technology was brought to us by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, an outstanding Roman architect and engineer who lived in the 1st century AD.
The roads were mainly built by legionnaires, they also served them.
So, the construction of any via began with breaking two parallel ditches along the route, the distance between which was from 2.5 to 4.5 meters. This was done to mark the area of work, as well as to obtain data on the local soil. After that, all the soil was removed between the ditches, resulting in something like a ditch. As a rule, the Romans tried to get to a solid layer of soil or rocky ground (depth about 1.5 meters).
The Romans generally loved to dig and build everything.
Further, the road was built on the principle of a puff cake. First, a layer of "statumen" (support) with a thickness of 20-50 cm was laid, which consisted of large rough stones. The next layer of "rudus" (crushed stone), 20 cm thick, was laid out of small broken stones. It was fastened with a binder mortar - Roman concrete, the recipe of which could vary quite a lot depending on the area and access to resources. The third layer was called "nucleus" (core) and was 15 cm thick and consisted of small fragments of brick. This layer could already be used as a road surface, but in most situations the Romans still preferred to lay the fourth layer - "pavimentum" (pavement). It was laid out from large cobblestones.
Even the smallest roads are built responsibly.
Road construction took place in a constant battle with the relief. Sometimes the road was raised to an embankment. Sometimes, they cut through rocks and hills. A couple of thousand people with picks and shovels can work wonders. The hardest thing for the Romans was crossing the swamps. However, here too there were engineering tricks. They overcame lowlands and swamps with the help of embankments and the installation of wooden piles. Very often in such places, parallel to the roads, drainage canals also burst.
War is the father of everything
As already mentioned, Roman roads were primarily an important military engineering structure. However, they also had a beneficial effect on the economy. First of all, the roads contributed to migration, the development of the postal service and, of course, trade. By the way, about the mail. Already under the Romans, inns for travelers were created along the roads, as well as special postal stations where messengers could change horses.
The crown of engineering.
However, the Roman Empire collapsed. The roads built by the “sons of Mars” have become one of the gifts of world civilization. Roman roads have been used for centuries for trade and war.