Interactive Map Reveals New Details About Roman Roads

And researchers in Europe have discovered more than 60,000 miles of roads built by the Romans. Today, a new interactive map allows users to see how the ancient network connected the empire. And today's Andrew Thomas has the details. Satellite surveys, topographical maps, and software have revealed more of the Roman Empire. A new study published in journal Scientific Data shows the extent of Rome's roads and where they led. Lead author Tom Bugman says the traffic helped shape modern Europe. >> We have longd distanceance trade, you know, grain being produced in Egypt and being consumed in Rome, traded and transported over vast distances. We also have phenomena like uh Germanic tribes and their mass migration of Germanic peoples into the Western Roman Empire and contributing to its fall in the fifth century. >> Bugman's explains how the Romans were able to take control of and improve the roots. It conquered areas that were already densely urbanized with a vast net of existing roads. The Romans continued to use them. They upgraded them. An important contribution by the Romans is that they connected up all of those local road systems. >> The Roman Empire covered more than 1.5 million square miles. Its road network would connect its far-flung corners. >> So for the very first time, it was possible to move over land from Syria to Spain, for example, these vast distances. It was truly the first continental scale terrestrial transport infrastructure. >> A new highresolution digital data set and map covers roads throughout the Roman Empire. Bugman's hopes people are interested to learn more about their connections to the ancient civilization. >> It's kind of like a GPS, like a Google maps of the ancient world. What I want people to do is explore it, see where their houses, see where the nearest Roman road is. >> Andrew Thomas, NTD News.