Via ducta – Roman Road Building: An Introduction to Its Significance, the Sources and the State of Research
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Anne Kolb
Abstract
The case of Marcus Dunius Paternus, a member of the urban elite in the Roman colony of Aventicum (in the province of Germania superior), serves to exemplify the sources and state of research on Roman road construction in the High Roman Empire. The wealthy entrepreneur held the highest local magistracies available in his city, and seems to have used his private means to finance the construction of a via publica, not least due to his own economic interests. The beneficial effects roads had upon the Roman Empire and its economy are thus demonstrated once again. The importance of the Roman road network as a foundation, instrument and symbol of Roman rule can be traced through the centuries of the state’s development. An overview of the sources and the state of research, especially on the more than 8,000 Roman milestones known today, complete the picture.
Abstract
The case of Marcus Dunius Paternus, a member of the urban elite in the Roman colony of Aventicum (in the province of Germania superior), serves to exemplify the sources and state of research on Roman road construction in the High Roman Empire. The wealthy entrepreneur held the highest local magistracies available in his city, and seems to have used his private means to finance the construction of a via publica, not least due to his own economic interests. The beneficial effects roads had upon the Roman Empire and its economy are thus demonstrated once again. The importance of the Roman road network as a foundation, instrument and symbol of Roman rule can be traced through the centuries of the state’s development. An overview of the sources and the state of research, especially on the more than 8,000 Roman milestones known today, complete the picture.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Preface VII
-
I. A Broader View
- Via ducta – Roman Road Building: An Introduction to Its Significance, the Sources and the State of Research 3
- Roads in the Roman World: Strategy for the Way Forward 22
- Roots to Routes: Gandhara’s Landscapes of Mobility 35
- Rom und die Fernhandelswege durch Arabien 53
- Le livre de poste de Turbo, curateur du praesidium de Xèron Pelagos (Aegyptus) 67
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II. The Roads of the Empire
- Travelling between the Euphrates and the Tigris in Late Antiquity 109
- Milestones near Roman Army Installations in Desert Areas of the Provinces of Palaestina and Arabia 132
- Römische Straßen und Meilensteine im Ebenen Kilikien 147
- CIL XVII, 5, 3: Neue Meilensteine und Straßen aus der Cilicia Aspera 166
- Via publica vel militaris: Die Bernsteinstraße in spätantoninischer und severischer Zeit 191
- The Peutinger Map, the Roman Army and the First Military Roads in Dacia 215
- Roman Roads in Moesia Superior at Six Points 236
- Some Considerations about the Roman Road Network in Central Balkan Provinces 252
- Du premier milliaire au dernier palimpseste: cinq siècles et demi de présence romaine en Grèce 272
- Miliaria in der Provinz Lusitania 303
- Road Network and Roman Frontier in Numidia: the Region of Tobna 323
- Twin Roads: the Road Carthage-Theveste and the via nova Rusicadensis; some Observations and Questions 338
- Miliari e viabilità dell’Etruria romana: un aggiornamento e alcune considerazioni 375
- Excavations in the North of Italy along the via Claudia Augusta 404
- Autorenliste 423
- Index 425
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Preface VII
-
I. A Broader View
- Via ducta – Roman Road Building: An Introduction to Its Significance, the Sources and the State of Research 3
- Roads in the Roman World: Strategy for the Way Forward 22
- Roots to Routes: Gandhara’s Landscapes of Mobility 35
- Rom und die Fernhandelswege durch Arabien 53
- Le livre de poste de Turbo, curateur du praesidium de Xèron Pelagos (Aegyptus) 67
-
II. The Roads of the Empire
- Travelling between the Euphrates and the Tigris in Late Antiquity 109
- Milestones near Roman Army Installations in Desert Areas of the Provinces of Palaestina and Arabia 132
- Römische Straßen und Meilensteine im Ebenen Kilikien 147
- CIL XVII, 5, 3: Neue Meilensteine und Straßen aus der Cilicia Aspera 166
- Via publica vel militaris: Die Bernsteinstraße in spätantoninischer und severischer Zeit 191
- The Peutinger Map, the Roman Army and the First Military Roads in Dacia 215
- Roman Roads in Moesia Superior at Six Points 236
- Some Considerations about the Roman Road Network in Central Balkan Provinces 252
- Du premier milliaire au dernier palimpseste: cinq siècles et demi de présence romaine en Grèce 272
- Miliaria in der Provinz Lusitania 303
- Road Network and Roman Frontier in Numidia: the Region of Tobna 323
- Twin Roads: the Road Carthage-Theveste and the via nova Rusicadensis; some Observations and Questions 338
- Miliari e viabilità dell’Etruria romana: un aggiornamento e alcune considerazioni 375
- Excavations in the North of Italy along the via Claudia Augusta 404
- Autorenliste 423
- Index 425
