A new digital mapping project has revealed that the ancient Roman road network was far more extensive than previously believed, expanding our understanding of how the empire was connected. The new map, named Itiner-e, shows that the system of Roman roads stretched over 299,000 kilometers, almost 50% more than earlier estimates, redrawing the physical footprint of Roman civilization. Created by an international team of researchers from European universities, the atlas integrates archaeological data, topographical surveys, satellite imagery, and even digitized aerial photos from World War II to reconstruct the routes that once linked Rome to its vast provinces.
According to archaeologist Tom Brughmans of Aarhus University, one of the project’s lead authors, mapping these roads was “a massive puzzle on a continental scale.” The researchers examined subtle traces in landscapes where ancient sources suggested missing routes, identifying roadbeds through variations in vegetation, terrain elevation, and remnants of Roman engineering. The result is the most comprehensive reconstruction ever made of the Roman road system around AD 150, when the empire reached its maximum extent.
The findings, published in Scientific Data and highlighted by The Independent, show that many previously overlooked regional routes across the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, and North Africa expanded the known network. The map identifies 14,769 road segments, roughly one-third classified as major and two-thirds as secondary. Only 2.7% of them are confirmed with full certainty, while nearly 90% are traced with moderate accuracy. The researchers emphasize that the Roman roads were not just built for military or trade purposes but served as conduits for ideas, cultures, and even diseases, forming the arteries of a connected ancient world.
At its height, the Roman Empire spanned from Britain to Egypt and Syria, encompassing around 55 million people. The new Itiner-e data suggests that a traveler could theoretically move across this vast territory through a single, interconnected road system, comparable to modern European infrastructure. Many modern highways, such as the route linking Bologna, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, and Milan, still follow the same paths as their Roman predecessors.
Archaeologist Benjamin Ducke of the German Archaeological Institute, who was not part of the project, called Itiner-e “a foundational resource that will become a reference point for countless future studies.” For Brughmans and his team, the project’s value goes beyond mapping—it provides new insight into the mobility, logistics, and human dynamics of the ancient world. As co-author Adam Pażout from the Autonomous University of Barcelona noted, the Roman engineers’ innovations in bridges, tunnels, and roadbeds still shape the geography and economies of the Mediterranean today.
