Background information
The main function of the roads are to transport people from place to place. This was also true in Ancient Rome, although the roads were mainly used for military transport. Other functions of the ancient roads include sending messages to regional governors quickly, and transporting goods and products from place to place efficiently. Before the construction of these roads, many places only had muddy tracks for transport. These roads made travel from place to place not only faster, but easier too.
The Process
Step One
- Get a surveyor to mark out the position of the road with sticks.
- For the straightest roads, use a Groma.
Step Two
- Clear the area of the road of any obstacles (trees, rocks, etc.)
Step Tree
- Dig a trench about 5 feet deep and 24 feet wide.
Step Four
- Fill in the trench.
- For the first layer, fill in compacted sand or dry earth . This should take up one foot of space.
- Next, pour in crushed rock on top of the sand. This should also take up one foot of space.
- Third, pour in the gravel in mixed cement. This is the main base of the road. This takes up 1.5 feet.
- The fourth layer is composed of sand gravel and cement. This takes up one foot.
- For the final layer of the road, neatly place large stone slabs on the cement. This will only take up 0.5 feet. Add kerb stones to mark the edges of the road.
- Lastly, dig drainage ditches to prevent flooding of the roads.
Citation
- Flinn, Gallagher. "10 Cool Engineering Tricks the Romans Taught Us" 28 February 2011. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://www.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/10-roman-engineering-tricks.htm> 18 December 2012