The legacy of the Roman Empire can today be seen from space.Satellite images show lights from prospering towns surrounding Roman roads that were built 2,000 years ago. In a new study, researchers have confirmed that these Roman roads still act as a hot bed for economic growth and activity, much in the same way they did almost two millennia ago.
Researchers from the universities of Copenhagen studied Roman roads from AD117 using satellite images and the Digital Atlas. They looked at population density and the intensity of lights at night along 50,000 miles of Roman roads. By AD117, Romans had built roads across most of the continent from Hadrian's wall down to parts of the Middle East. The Romans mostly built the roads in newly conquered undeveloped regions to establish strong trade routes. They built their roads to be very straight on purpose to make the journey time as short as possible.
In their study, the scientists found that Roman road density was linked to greater economic activity in 2010. “There does seem to be a link between the location of ancient roads and economic activity today, ”they said. The connection, however, was not as strong in north Africa due to a move from wheeled transport to camel caravans.
Today, preservation of Roman roads across the world varies. In Britain, some are still easily visible. Famous Roman roads include Watling Street, which ran from London to Chester, and the Fosse Way, which crossed from Exeter to Lincoln.
Because Roman roads are so well-built and extensive, they can be easily seen and found from space. That is exactly what Shane Kimbrough did in 2017. Kimbrough took a series of images while flying 250 miles over Earth from the International Space Station that showed the Earth at night with lights showing the busy towns and cities.
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