Archaeologists have unveiled a groundbreaking digital atlas illustrating that the Roman road network spanned 186,000 miles across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, significantly expanding previous estimates by over 50%. This atlas, titled Itiner-e, employs advanced satellite and digital methodologies to map a previously underestimated network of roads, offering profound insights into the empire’s infrastructure and influence.
The study, published by the Scientific Data journal, represents a landmark achievement in the field of archaeology. It combines historical records, ancient journals, and a wealth of archaeological data with modern satellite imagery and aerial photography. Researchers have combed through decades of historical documents and have made use of digitized photos from the World War II era, enabling them to identify subtle traces of ancient roads. These traces include variations in vegetation, soil patterns, and the remnants of engineering feats like raised mounds or cut hillsides.
According to the study, the new atlas reveals a network of secondary roads linking rural villas, farms, and military outposts, in addition to the well-known highways of the Roman Empire. Prior estimates suggested the empire’s roads extended approximately 117,000 miles, but this study has expanded those figures by over 50%, highlighting the vast reach of Roman infrastructure. The researchers have identified additional roads in areas such as North Africa, France’s interior plains, and the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece, which were previously under-documented in earlier maps.
Tom Brughmans, an archaeologist and co-author of the study, emphasized the significance of the project.