All roads lead to Rome, the saying goes. The reality is that the Roman roads were an incredible asset to Roman infrastructure to running their empire. Beginning in the late 4C BC, the first consular road was constructed to facilitate troops during the Samnite Wars. As Roman power and influence spread, so, too, did their network of roads, well built, with massive foundations of sand and pebble courses, capped with basalt lava stone (silex) pavers. The network extended to include 400,000 km of roads, of which approximately 80,500 km were stone paved. Many of the consular roads that traversed the empire emanated from Rome, with a golden milestone detailing their distances (Pliny, HN III.66).
Major roads:
- Via Appia
- Via Ardeatina
- Via Asinaria
- Via Aurelia
- Via Campana
- Via Collatina
- Via Cornelia
- Via Flaminia
- Via Gabina
- Via Labicana
- Via Lata
- Via Latina
- Via Laurentina
- Via Merulana
- Via Nomentana
- Via Nova
- Via Ostiensis
- Via Pinciana
- Via Portuensis
- Via Praenestina
- Via Salaria
- Via Tecta
- Via Tiburtina
- Via Triumphalis
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Cite this page as: Ancient Rome Live, The American Institute for Roman Culture, “Roads (General)“. Last modified
June 25, 2026. https://ancientromelive.org/roads-general/
Created by The American Institute of Roman Culture, published on
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