Analysis busts myths of Roman road network, offers insight into ancient world
3 hours ago
- A new analysis of the Roman road network disproves the myth that all roads lead to Rome, finding that Constantinople was more central.
- The most central path in the empire avoided Rome, passing through North Africa, modern-day Turkey, and Constantinople.
- Roman roads were not uniformly straight; they were built straight only where topography allowed, otherwise they were wiggly.
- The proverb 'all roads lead to Rome' originated in medieval times and is symbolic, not factual.
- Many modern roads follow ancient Roman routes, but many so-called Roman roads are not authentically Roman.