{"id":8683,"date":"2023-10-19T05:00:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T04:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=8683"},"modified":"2023-10-19T05:00:14","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T04:00:14","slug":"what-transportation-did-the-ancient-romans-improved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/what-transportation-did-the-ancient-romans-improved\/","title":{"rendered":"What Transportation Did The Ancient Romans Improved"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Transportation has always been a crucial element in daily life. It doesn’t come as a surprise that since old times, civilizations and cultures have been trying to innovate and improve forms of transport. The Ancient Roman Empire was no exception and is often used as an example of the ways in which ingenious engineering and great minds can change the rules of the game. <\/p>\n

Being able to travel easily and quickly was essential for the Romans as they had a large empire to administer. This is why they focused on water and roads, developing them in complex and effective ways. The Roman road system, for instance, was incredibly advanced for that period of time. It was based on an organized grid pattern with well-planned and constructed surfaces. Consider, for example, the Appian Way, the most famous and longest road in the empire. It was fed by a series of smaller roads, which lead to ports, market drives and cities. Building roads was not only necessary to connect with the most remote provinces, but also to disperse the army during war times. <\/p>\n

The Ancient Romans were also proficient navigators and engineers. They built a complicated network of aqueducts, canals, roads and bridges. For instance, the Pont du Gard bridge, is still in surprisingly good condition, playing an active role in the transport system of the region. They developed bridges to make it easier to cross rivers without needing to use boats. The curvas clausas technology allowed them to construct extremely long bridges spanning great rivers. This was possible thanks to the arch structures that were first used in Italy by the Ancient Romans. <\/p>\n

Apart from freshwater transport, the Romans also made significant advances in seafaring. They developed fortune-telling techniques and complex navigation network, which helped sailors communicate better and reach far off lands. The Romans used the early methods of celestial navigation, relying on the positions of stars and constellations, in order to determine their position on the sea. The development of the compass and the astrolabe was also a great contribution to aiding navigators in their quest for the best route to their destination. <\/p>\n