Story perspectives

Roman Roads Mapped 186,000 Miles, More Winding Than Thought

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 11:54 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Spanish researchers mapped 186,000 miles of Roman roads and found they were less uniformly straight than thought.
Ankara and Byzantium occupied more central positions in the network than Rome.
About 90% of routes maintained gradients suitable for animal-drawn carts, even across the Alps.
Many ancient routes correspond to modern highways across Europe and North Africa.
Provincial capitals such as London, Ankara and Corinth served as key crossroads, outpacing Rome.

History

Historical Context

By 117 AD the Roman Empire’s road network linked Rome to distant provinces such as Britain and Dacia, using milestones and itineraries to record distances. Modern teams from Universidad de Granada and the Instituto de Estudios Romanos have mapped over 186,000 miles of these ancient routes, showing that many present-day highways still follow the original Roman alignments.

1 of 2

Story summary

Spanish researchers mapped 186,000 miles of Roman roads and found they were less uniformly straight than thought.
Ankara and Byzantium occupied more central positions in the network than Rome.
About 90% of routes maintained gradients suitable for animal-drawn carts, even across the Alps.
Many ancient routes correspond to modern highways across Europe and North Africa.
Provincial capitals such as London, Ankara and Corinth served as key crossroads, outpacing Rome.

1 / 2