Romans knew their way around road-building. Recent research suggests that these routes, which they laid out thousands of centuries ago, are still connected to areas of economic prosperity.
This means that if you live near the Roman road network, which was established over 2,000 years ago you are more likely to be located in an area with a high level of wealth. In modern times, the trade, profit and development these roads allowed still matter.
The roads were not originally intended for this purpose. In fact, the roads were built by the Romans to make it easier to move troops around. As time passed, roads were used to connect cities and towns of importance.
“Given the amount of history since then, many should have been adapted for modern times.” says economist Ola OlssonFrom the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).
“But it is striking to note that our main result is the fact that the Roman roads have contributed towards the concentration of cities along them and economic activity along them even though they are gone and are being replaced with new roads.”
At the peak of the Roman Empire’s expansion at the beginning of the 2nd century CE, some 80,000 kilometers (49,710 miles) of road had been established, with the first – a military supply route – starting construction in 312 BCE.
The researchers overlayed maps showing the roads of the Roman Empire over modern-day satellite photos. Night-time light intensity was used as an indicator of economic activity. For closer analysis, the map was divided into smaller grids. Each grid measured a single degree longitude and one degree of latitude.
The team found a remarkable pattern of persistence between Roman roads routes and modern economic activity despite the fact that much of the original infrastructure is gone.
Whether the roads spurred economic activity or were built along routes that were already prospering remains – but there are indications that the former hypothesis is correct, that the routes drove an increase in trade and wealth. According to the team, it would have been critical for the development of market towns along these routes.
“This is the greatest challenge in all of research.” Olsson. “What makes this study even more interesting is the fact that roads have disappeared. This would have allowed for economic restructuring in Western Europe, given the chaos that followed the fall of Rome. Despite this, the urban structure remained.
These findings were not consistent across the globe. In North Africa and in the Middle East, where camel cars replaced wheeled transport sometime in the 4th to 6th centuries CE, the Roman roads were not built around or replaced.
There is no relationship between economic prosperity and old routes in these areas, and they are also less economically prosperous overall. Again, the researchers say that the market towns – or in this case, their absence – are crucial.
These findings also have implications for future infrastructure planning. Decisions about where to put road and rail routes have the potential to significantly improve the economic climate in a particular area – and as this latest study shows, that improvement can last for a long, long time.
“In Sweden, we are talking about possible new railroad trunk line constructions,” Olsson. The economic activity of Sweden has gained tremendous importance from the former, which dates back to the 19th Century. The possibility of new railroad stretches is being considered. Some communities could see an economic boost if these are built.
The publication of the research was published in Journal of Comparative Economics.
