I once stayed at an inn in Britain that had been there since medieval times. It was built next to Roman road. The inn was stone/wood construction with a fireplace that had an opening that was 7 feet tall and wide and about the same deep. The Roman road had been paved over, so you wouldn't actually know it was there. The innkeeper gave me a short local history of the area over a beer that was very interesting.
You can spot them on a road atlas. The modern motorways are marked in blue, the "A" roads are marked in green. Any green road that is arrow straight has been built over the course of a Roman road. The A1 runs all the way from London to Scotland. Stretches of it have been upgraded to motorway spec but most of it follows the original Roman road.
I have walked on several Roman Roads that are still there. One in Yorkshire Dales was amazing. It was slightly humped and had drainage channels in and along the sides. It was in a field, were we contended with grazing cows. Wonderful to walk on it.
Ever read Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd? There are several chapters on the Roman occupation. Pretty good read.
ReplyDeleteThe Vikings got their raping and pillaging first. But the Romans made good roads.
ReplyDeleteDamn right they did. Some of those roads, although covered are the base of many roads in England today.
DeleteAll more or less still there and functional too. They didn't mess around when they built roads. Our contractors could take a note or a thousand.
ReplyDeleteHey, give us unlimited slave labor and let us kill the ones who piss us off, and we'll give you some epic-goddamn-roads, too.
Delete- Contractors
It'd be interesting if they superimposed the current highway system over the "original" road map of Britain.
ReplyDeleteSee Stonyground's comment three below this one.
DeleteI once stayed at an inn in Britain that had been there since medieval times. It was built next to Roman road. The inn was stone/wood construction with a fireplace that had an opening that was 7 feet tall and wide and about the same deep. The Roman road had been paved over, so you wouldn't actually know it was there. The innkeeper gave me a short local history of the area over a beer that was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteNemo
I’ve had some interesting beers in England, too.
DeleteIsca North and Isca South ?
ReplyDeleteGreat map, thanks. Perspective indeed.
MF
You can spot them on a road atlas. The modern motorways are marked in blue, the "A" roads are marked in green. Any green road that is arrow straight has been built over the course of a Roman road. The A1 runs all the way from London to Scotland. Stretches of it have been upgraded to motorway spec but most of it follows the original Roman road.
ReplyDeleteI dig the multiple border walls / defensive positions. Saving this map, it gives a sense of how sparse large cities were back then.
ReplyDelete-arc
I have walked on several Roman Roads that are still there. One in Yorkshire Dales was amazing. It was slightly humped and had drainage channels in and along the sides. It was in a field, were we contended with grazing cows. Wonderful to walk on it.
ReplyDeleteI used to live in a house on a Roman Road - Icknield Street.
ReplyDeleteDon't think it had ever been repaired since the Romans left. LOL