They haven’t been used as a means of communication for centuries, but this ancient Roman construction anticipated Europe’s richest places two millennia in advance.
The legacy of Roman empire it is impressive and many of its laws and customs still affect us on a daily basis. Also are monuments. A study has found that, 2000 years after that, if you go through the roman roads you will achieve the most prosperous places in Europe nowadays. How is it possible?
2300 years ago, Rome began building stone dams throughout the empire. His goal was facilitation movement of his troopsas most of the soldiers moved on foot.
The smooth stone walkways it made it easier to walk on and made soldiers and horses less tired than walking on dirt or mud. That way they could put down an uprising or invasion sooner.
At its peak, around the 2nd century AD, the roman roads came to cover 80,000 kilometers throughout the European continent, and even in North Africa and Asia.
As explained Science alerta study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, has placed satellite images of the network of human roads over areas of light illumination at night, indicating prosperity. And surprisingly, they fit together perfectly:
As we see, the roman roads lead directly to the major capitals current, al population groups and highly developed coastal areas.
It’s a surprising fact, because many of those roads they are gone or are buried underground. And in the 2,000 years since the Roman Empire built them, there have been countless wars in Europe, devastating countries and cities.
Researchers still don’t know which came first, the chicken or the egg: whether the Romans built the roads “pointing” to the affluent areas, or whether those populations arose around the roads because they were an ideal means of transportation for the trade.
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A clue is given by another piece of information: the roman roads from North of Africa Y Asia do not coincide with the current prosperity zones. It is believed that it is because the cities there did not prosper around the markets, but around the camel caravans, which followed different routes.
In Europe, the roman roads they keep driving towards it the most prosperous areas of Europealmost 2000 years later. His legacy continues to influence the economy and prosperity of the 21st century.