Chap. IV.

ROMAN.

149

describes as far as Siniiessa; Dion carries it beyond: and afterwards says that it united theseven hills of Rome with Baia>.

The Domitian Way, though of no very great extent, was of the greatest use, as itenabled travellers to pass marshes and quicksands, by means of bridges and causewaysconstructed at a vast expense. In many portions masses of concrete were thrown intoswampy places, and the distances formerly passed greatly shortened. All the long detourswere avoided, and Statius tells us that a triumphal arch was raised to Domitian by thesenate and Roman people, in gratitude for the benefits bestowed upon them by this work.

The public roads, among the works of Roman magnificence, ranked preeminently high ;vast labour and expense were bestowed upon them, and their construction, as we nowbehold them, seems to have been intended to outlast their empire. Such arteries, as theywere termed, which conducted to the heart of the imperial city, were not thought un-worthy of the attention of the greatest men of the republic ; none but those of the highestrank were even eligible to the office of superintending them, and during the empireAugustus himself took charge of them. The Romans, however, notwithstanding the good-ness of their roads, were not very fast travellers, for Augustus , when he went to Prameste,a distance of only twenty-five miles, usually halted for the night about half-way. AndHorace tells us that he performed his journey to Brundusium , which was distant aboutforty-three miles, in the same time, but he observes that an expeditious traveller couldperform the journey in a day.

Among the Romans the various roads were distinguished by the names Via, Actus, Iter,Semita, Trames, Diverticulum , Divertium, Callais , &c.

Via , answers to our common roads; its breadth was 8 Roman feet, so that carriages couldpass without collision.

Actus , was a road for the passage of a single carriage; it derived its name from a measureused in surveying land, of which the breadth was 4 feet, and the length 120.

Iter, was a road for pedestrians and horsemen, the breadth of which was 3 feet.

Semita , was only half the breadth of the Iter, and when it crossed fields it was calledTrames, Diverticulum, and Divertium.

Callais, was a road through mountainous districts, for the purpose of attending theflocks.

These roads, peculiarly adapted for civil purposes, united with other great lines,which traversed the numerous provinces of the empire, which were called military,consular, or praetorian, or were named after the consuls and emperors who had con-structed them, as the Appian, Flaminian, and Domitian ; they were sometimes designated

Fig. 161.

ROAD WITH MARGINES,

by the names of the provinces, as the Latian, Tiburtine, Campanian, and Praenestine ways.The great military roads were divided into three distinct parts; that in the middle wasthe most elevated, and called agger, and had a convex form or curve; this was usuallypaved with large stones of various shapes.

Most of the roads in the neighbourhood of Rome , as the Appian, Latian, Labicum,Tiburtine, and the Praenestine, had the paved part 16 Roman feet in width, or 15 feet 6 inchesEnglish ; this portion was separated from the two sides, called margines, by a curb, 2 feetwide and 18 inches high, which served as seats for travellers.

The middle portion was destined for the infantry, and the margines for horses andcarriages : the breadth of each margin was half that of the road in the middle, so that theentire breadth of these military ways was from 36 to 40 Roman feet.

The streets in the towns were sometimes called Via Militaris, as were the chief of thosein Rome , which were the commencement of the great roads; under these were constructed

l 3