Posted on 07/28/2005 4:51:21 PM PDT by blam
Egnatia digs reveal Roman road secrets
Excavations uncover ancient equivalent of interstate highway
A man walks along the remains of a wayside inn along the route of the ancient Via Egnatia, near the northern town of Komotini. Culture Ministry officials have unearthed extensive traces of the second-century-BC highway, which was built with safety features to protect even the clumsiest charioteer.
By Costas Kantouris - The Associated Press
KOMOTINI - Archaeologists excavating along the route of the ancient Via Egnatia are revealing the secrets of the ancient Romans' equivalent of an interstate highway.
Stretching 861 kilometers (535 miles) across modern-day Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece, the stone-paved road made the going easy for charioteers, soldiers and other travelers. It was up to 30 feet wide (9 meters) in places and was dotted with safety features, inns and service stations.
«This was a busy road, and the Romans managed to make it completely functional,» archaeologist Polyxeni Tsatsopoulou told The Associated Press.
Built between 146 and 120 BC under the supervision of the top Roman official in Macedonia, proconsul Gaius Egnatius, the highway ran from the Adriatic coast in what is now Albania to modern Turkey, giving Rome quick access to the eastern provinces of its empire.
Ancient engineers did such a good job that the Via Egnatia remained in use for some 2,000 years, sticking to its original course even as its paving slabs were plundered for building material. But over the last century, what's visible of it has dwindled to less than 3 kilometers (2 miles) in total.
Now it is being reincarnated as the Egnatia Highway spanning northern Greece and set for completion in 2008.
This 680-kilometer (425-mile) highway costing 6.5 billion euros (US $7.9 billion) runs more or less parallel to the Roman road and crosses it several times.
An excavation near the town of Komotini, some 270 kilometers (168 miles) east of Thessaloniki, revealed the Romans' sophisticated road-building techniques.
A central partition of large stones protected charioteers from oncoming vehicles, with similar barriers on the verges.
«This prevented chariots, wagons and carts from skidding off the road,» Tsatsopoulou said.
She said drivers held the reins with their right hand and wielded their whip with the left, so the Romans made drivers stay on the left to avoid the lash of oncoming riders and keep road-rage incidents to a minimum.
There were inns every 50 to 64 kilometers (30 to 40 miles), and post stations, the Roman equivalent of gas stations, every 11 to 23 kilometers (7 to 14 miles).
«These post stations had spare beasts, as well as... vets, grooms and shoesmiths,» Tsatsopoulou said.
Archaeologists also discovered ruins of military outposts, checkpoints and camps, with guard posts built near narrow passes to curb highway robbery.
Culture Ministry officials hope to turn the surviving highway remains into an archaeological walk for tourists, Tsatsopoulou said.
GGG Ping.
thanks for posting this
"She said drivers held the reins with their right hand and wielded their whip with the left, so the Romans made drivers stay on the left to avoid the lash of oncoming riders and keep road-rage incidents to a minimum."
Driving on the left appears to date to Roman practices.
I wonder if it got to Britain with the Romans?
(I hold the reins in the left hand and the whip in the right.)
Cool!
I'm surprised they haven't found an abandoned Chariot by the side of the road, with the wheels and trim missing.
By the way, these Roman roads, were also crowned to allow
rain water to run off.
Its actually still in better shape than the roads in Cleveland.
I wondered the same thing.
Later digs revealed a prototype for the first shovel that stood up by itself threatening the job of the average 'union' worker.
An ancient Roman sketch showed an early 'union' road crew. One guy was working leisurely while six others were leaning on shovels.
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That matches current practices in the City of Chicago.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Under Nero, the soldiers had to pay for their own leave time, and some resorted to highway robbery to get the coin.
Wow!
That is really interesting.
Like the pics too!
Roman Empire bump.
One wonders if the road rage explanation (reins in right hand, whip in left) is also the reason why the practice of driving on the left was used in England.
Wow, a regular route (A.D.) 66! :-)
What Have The Romans Ever Done For Us?
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