Synopses & Reviews
In Roman Britain, the road between Londinium (London) and Noviogamus (Chichester) was completed with an error of less than one degree, a feat it has often been assumed was achieved without maps. However, little is known of when, how, and even why they were built. Davies uses archaeological evidence to examine what was built, and places these findings in historical context using sources from antiquity. What makes this study unique however is his use of expert knowledge from his work as a professional highway engineer to understand the significance of the roads. Davies analyses the possible methods the Romans used in order to achieve the durability and accuracy for which they are renowned, maintaining the extensive network in a working state the quality of which would not again be paralleled until the 19th century.
Synopsis
The engineering achievement of Britain's Roman road network was not rivalled until the 19th-century and it is this technical aspect of Roman road building that Hugh Davies focuses on. A professional highway engineer himself, Davies draws on recent archaeological evidence to investigate the contributing features for the durability and accuracy of the network. Fully illustrated sections discuss surveying methods, the physical structure of the roads, the significance of their dimensions, the means use to cross and ford rivers and maintenance methods. Davis also considers reference to Roman roads in contemporary sources, the relation of roads to the development of Roman towns and the reasons for the reuse and survival of so many of the roads. The book includes a gazetteer of roads. This very accessable and useful study requires no previous knowledge of Roman roads or road engineering.