How long was the The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae)?

The The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae) ran for about 85,000 km.

When was the The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae) in use?

The The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae) was active during 312 BCE – 476 CE.

What was traded on the The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae)?

The main goods were Legionary Convoys, Spanish Olive Oil (Baetica), Egyptian Grain, Gaulish Wine, Numidian Marble, Imperial Post (Cursus Publicus).

Which places were on the The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae)?

Its main stations were Rome (Milliarium Aureum), Capua, Brundisium, Dyrrhachium, Thessalonica, Constantinople, Massalia, Lugdunum (Lyon), Tarraco.

How many caravanserais were on the The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae)?

YearMaps maps 5 caravanserais within 40 km of the The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae). This counts only places recorded in Wikidata and the OWTRAD project, so the historical total was higher.

OVERLAND CARAVAN85,000 km Total NetworkActive: 312 BCE – 476 CE

The Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae)

The world’s most celebrated stone-paved road network connecting 300,000 km of civil routes from Hadrian’s Wall to the Euphrates frontier.

Places Along the Roman Highway Network (Viae Publicae)

Commercial Genesis & Spatial Network

Beginning with the construction of the Via Appia by censor Appius Claudius Caecus in 312 BCE, the Romans constructed over 85,000 km of first-class stone-paved roads (and 300,000 km of secondary roads). Multi-layered with gravel (statumen, rudus, nucleus) and crowned with polygonal basalt paving stones (summa crusta), Roman roads were engineered arrow-straight across swamps and mountains to enable legions to march 35 km a day to suppress uprisings.

Economic Impact & Cultural Diffusion

Integrated the Mediterranean basin into a unified common market, lowered freight transport costs, and formed the physical foundation of modern European transport corridors.

Caravanserais and Halting Places on This Route

5 caravanserais recorded within 40 km of the mapped line. A caravanserai is a roadside inn; a halting place is a named camping ground with no permanent building. How caravans travelled and how a caravanserai worked.

Evrenos Bey Han

Caravanserai · Greece · 40.8654° N, 26.0334° E

The Evrenos Bey Han, also known as the Hana of Trajanopolis (Greek: Χάνα της Τραϊανούπολης; Turkish: Kara Ilıca’daki Hanı) or just Hana is a caravanserai (han) in northern Greece, and one of the oldest Ottoman monuments in the Balkans. It was built in 1370–90 by Gazi Ahmet Evrenos and is located in the Trajanopolis Baths, just twelve kilometers to the northeast of Alexandroupolis. The monument is a long, rectangular building with external dimensions of 38.8 by 13 metres (127 ft × 43 ft).

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

All Recorded Stopping Places

Name	Type	Country	Coordinates
Evrenos Bey Han	Caravanserai	Greece	40.8654° N, 26.0334° E
Boshnak han	Caravanserai	Greece	40.6376° N, 22.9370° E
Büyükçekmece Caravanserai	Caravanserai	Turkey	41.0221° N, 28.5757° E
Enez Caravanserai	Caravanserai	Turkey	40.6602° N, 26.0711° E
Küçükçekmece Hanı	Caravanserai	Turkey	40.9900° N, 28.7699° E

Sources: Wikidata (caravanserais, CC0) and the OWTRAD project (halting places). All caravanserais and halting places

Logistics, Caravanserais & Overland Hazards

▲Strict geometric surveying utilizing the groma and chorobates to maintain uncompromising straight alignments
▲Cursus publicus state courier system featuring mutationes (horse change posts) and mansiones (inns)
▲Milestones (miliaria) marking exact distances from the Golden Milestone (Milliarium Aureum) in the Roman Forum
▲Road bandits (latrones) in isolated mountain passes requiring municipal road patrols (stationarii)

Custodial Empires & Polities

Sovereign states that safeguarded, taxed, or maintained garrisons along this route:

Roman RepublicRoman EmpireByzantine EmpireGermanic Successor Kingdoms

More Routes in This Region

Europe and the Russian Rivers

The Ancient Amber Road1,200 km

overland caravan • 1500 BCE – 400 CE

The Hanseatic League Maritime Network4,500 km

maritime sea-lane • 1150 CE – 1669 CE

Route from the Varangians to the Greeks3,000 km

inland waterway • 800 CE – 1100 CE

The Volga Trade Route5,500 km

inland waterway • 750 CE – 1000 CE

Nearby Routes in Other Regions

The King’s Highway and the Via Maris1,900 km

overland caravan • 2000 BCE – 700 CE

The Arabian Incense & Frankincense Route2,400 km

overland caravan • 1500 BCE – 300 CE

The Persian Royal Road of Darius I2,700 km

overland caravan • 550 BCE – 330 BCE