Roman Roads
The Original Weapons Delivery System

Roman roads were built to take the Roman army where it needed to go, as quickly as possible. Our legate chose his target and the surveyors and engineers took a look at how hard it would be to get us there. Some in your world think our roads were so straight (Like Derby's Long Lane, on the right.) because the legate drew a line on the map and we built a road along it.

For a start, there were no maps - we were just beginning to draw a few. All the surveyors had to work with was a collection of rumors brought back by merchants, who had traded here, and the information gathered by our cavalry patrols and us, the pioneers.

Every Roman road had to be easy to defend. That rule was never bent. Our marching column could turn, close ranks and be ready to fight very quickly but they liked as much warning as they could get. They didn't always trust the cavalry to flush the enemy out of the bushes before they arrived. We pioneers had been taught what the surveyors needed to know about the 'lay of the land' our new road would cross. Once we had found a possible path, they came out to see if it measured up.

Finding a route through woodland was hardest, especially when it was hilly. We couldn't see where we were going! Your British weather made it more difficult to know where we were heading. Even our surveyors - who knew a few tricks of their trade - could get turned around when there was no sun.

Did you know that moss grows on all sides of a tree, in Britannia? Oh, and what is a compass?

When a route had been marked, a wide path was cleared of trees and undergrowth. Defending a road through forest meant that the ground had to be cleared as far as an arrow could fly, on both sides. That could mean cutting an awful lot of trees - the start of the hard work.

Building a Roman road across open land wasn't as straightforward as you might think. Open land was usually farmland. Evicting farmers could be as troublesome as felling trees.

Flat open land might sound like the easiest place to build a road but remember, it had to be easy to defend. Roman roads crossing flat land were often built on banks as tall as a man, to give us a better view all around. Of course we got to build the banks as well. We built them so well that this part of the Fosse Way is still visible in your time.

If A Roman Road Turned - There Was A Reason

Swampy ground was a serious obstacle. Paving a road on slop - whilst fighting off clouds of ferocious British bugs - is about as hard as work gets. On campaign, we were always short of time so we built our roads around swamps.

Roman roads were almost never built around hills. Surveyors seldom worried about steep slopes. It was the centurions' job to keep us fit enough to climb them. Hills were useful things and our surveyors knew how to use them.

A man on a hill can see what's coming before it sees him. That same man, charging down-hill, will hit a shield wall a lot harder than his enemy, running up the hill to meet him. Think about that.

Even the laziest soldier knew it was worth the effort to build and use a road on high ground. It kept him alive longer.

Sometimes, our lives were made easier, when we could follow the course of existing tracks (you couldn't possibly have called them roads!). Besides going the right way, they were usually on reasonably high ground. When we had made them over to suit our needs, the natives might not have recognized them, but they were happy to use them, especially in the wet winters.

Straight roads were our first choice, for obvious reasons but they had to make sense.

When Roman roads made big detours, it was often to cross a river. We pioneers made the work go more smoothly by finding the best river crossings, well before the road got near it. The best place to cross was where the river flowed slow and shallow, between nice gravel banks.

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You and I know that rivers are different creatures at different times of the year - so did our surveyors. With the whole island to civilize, we didn't have time to worry about how a river behaved in the spring spate.

There were two things Rome never chose to do in the winter. In a civilized world, ships sailed and armies fought in the summer - May to Sept - April at the earliest. We showed respect for the equinoctial gales, even before we met the Atlantic version.

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We found our shallow, gravel-banked river crossing and the road followed us across it. Most of the roads we built during my time in Britannia were paved in gravel rather than big slabs of stone. Again, time and effort were needed for other pursuits.

Roads that go under water are called fords in your tongue. Fords needed a better surface if thousands of feet and quite a few wheels and hooves were to use them - on the same day.

We also needed to pave the fords in such a way that the river didn't see it as a disturbance or an obstruction. Rivers are very good at moving things out of their way.

Good sized stones, buried standing on end in the stream bed so only the tops showed, made the best paving, because the river thought they were its own and left them alone. A properly cobbled ford would still be used long after its builders were dead and gone.

If it was an important river crossing, the working camp we lived in, might become a permanent fort or even a town.

Why Not Build Bridges?

To you, bridging a river might be your first choice. For us, building bridges was the very last choice, if we had a choice, of course. Whatever you do with a river, it takes a lot of time, effort and material. Bridges take the most of all three. Then there was the problem of the neighbors.

They were usually hostile, at that time, and often enjoyed sitting in the bushes on the other bank, watching the troops sweat. They might send in the occasional flight of arrows - to ease the boredom. Part of the cavalry's job was to encourage them to keep their distance.

Building roads was hard, necessary work. We did it because we wanted the work to be lighter, later - and because we were told to.

When I get a bit more free time, I shall come back and tell you about how we built them. If you need to know now, put Roman roads into your search engine, you will find many sites that can tell you all about it.

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