The Roman Road
The ancient Roman Empire built over 50,000 miles of road spreading its army, culture and influence throughout the Mediterranean. The old saying "all roads lead to Rome", simply couldn't have been truer. At it's peak, Rome was the center of commerce, trade, politics, culture and military might. The original purpose of Roman roads was military exploitation. Along with the speed and accessibility provided to the Roman armies, the roads also provided an opportunity for trade, travel and communication unknown to the rest of the world. You could travel from Spain to Greece without ever stepping off a road, and after a short boat trip travel from Asia Minor all the way around to Northwestern Africa. One feature of Roman roads was the milestone. The English word "mile" comes from the L a tin milia passum which means, " one thous a nd paces". A standard Roman milest one w a s a 5 foot circul a r column. A t the b a se w a s inscribed the num...