Roman Road Network
Numerous Roman roads ran through our area.
A Roman road was built from granite cubes. Granite cubes are known for their long durability. Another characteristic feature was that the Romans constructed the roads so that they were slightly arched in the middle. This allowed water to drain off.
The Roman roads were built by the Roman army, which kept the soldiers occupied even in times of peace.
The roads enabled the Romans to move their army and goods quickly. This increased the mobility of their army and improved trade.
Today, many myths surround the Roman roads, especially concerning their routes.
Maps show the course of the main Roman roads in the year 150 AD.
If you would like more details on a specific road section, I would be happy to conduct further research for you.
Continue reading – The history of the railway family Haury
Let’s take a closer look at the road section over Trojane, which connected Ljubljana and Celje in Slovenia.
Construction of the road began in the year 101 and was completed in 105 AD. It was built under the Roman Emperor Trajan. In his honor, the new settlement that developed along the road was given the name Atrans.
The settlement perished during the Migration Period, but the name survived and evolved over the centuries into today’s name, Trojane.
Slovenia and Styria in Roman times.
The oldest Roman road on Austrian soil is the road over the Reschen Pass in Tyrol. It was built between 15 BC and 46 AD during the time of the Roman rulers Nero Claudius Drusus and Tiberius Claudius Drusus.
Austria and Tirol in Roman times.
The main road around Salzburg was newly constructed in the year 201 AD. Before that, there had already been an unpaved track there.
Salzburg, Austria and German in Roman time.
The road that ran from Vienna along the Danube was built between the years 138 and 161 AD under Emperor Antoninus Pius.
Vienna in Roman time.
Zagreb and Croatia in Roman time.
Trieste and Italy in Roman time.
The map was created as part of an international project. The results were published in the scientific journal Scientific Data, Volume 12, Article Number 1731 (2025).
Title of the article: “Itiner-e: A high-resolution dataset of roads of the Roman Empire”
Authors: Pau de Soto, Adam Pažout, Tom Brughmans, Peter Bjerregaard Vahlstrup, Álvaro Auir, Toon Bongers, Jens Emil Bødstrup Christoffersen, Maël Crépy, Mathias Holland Johansen, Joseph Lewis, Louis Manière, Michele Rüzgar Massa, Louise Matilde Harreby Møller, Bérangère Redon, Giuseppina Renda, Hamdi Şahin, Adéla Sobotková, Amanda Leighton Spatzek, Philip Verhagen, and Barbora Weissova.