Roman Road Network

400,000 kilometers of roads that connected an empire/Infrastructure

At its peak around the 2nd century AD, the Roman road network consisted of approximately 400,000 kilometers of roads, of which about 80,500 kilometers were stone-paved trunk routes connecting every province of the empire. The roads were engineering marvels: typically 4.2 meters wide with layered foundations of sand, gravel, and stone, crowned for drainage, and flanked by drainage ditches. The Appian Way (Via Appia), begun in 312 BC, is one of the oldest and most famous. Many modern European roads follow Roman routes. The phrase 'All roads lead to Rome' was literally true: a golden milestone in the Forum marked the starting point of all distances.