ROADS AND HIGHWAYS. Historical Review.— Road building requires community action of a fairly high order. Savage:man built no roads nor had he any conscious need for them. His wants were few of an in dividual character. Gradually, howeVer,, as he mounted the ladder of civilization his Wants increased both individually and.. collectively. The game trail and natural path became in adequate for travel, commerce and the move ment and supply of armed forces.
When and where man first began to build roads we do not know. That it was long be fore the beginning of authentic history is cer tain. Dense populations and large cities are 2000 1.1.c. These roads extended to Susa, Ecbatana, Sardis and Nineveh. Strabo even speaks of the road between Babylon and Nine veh as being paved with brick laid in a mortar of asphaltum.
The ancient Persians, Assyrians, Carthagin ians, Chinese and Peruvians were all great road builders. Their works, however, have all passed into decay and the records of their achievements lost or largely forgotten.
The Romans are the first systematic road builders of which we have definite knowledge.
impossible without roads. Furthermore the con struction of such works as the pyramids of Egypt and the "great walls and hanging gar dens" of Babylon could not have been accom plished without the existence of roads for the transportation of materials and supplies.
Herodotus tells us that in Egypt a "Great Ring" built a magnificent road across the sands for the transportation of the materials for the "Great Pyramid," employing for this purpose 100,000 men for a period of 10 years. This road, 10 feet thick in places, was built of massive stone blocks and lined on both sides with mausoleums, temples and statues. Traces of what may be a part of this road are found near the "Great Pyramid," probably the oldest authentic remains of a road surfaced with stone. Early historians speak of wonderful roads radiating from Babylon on or before The first of the great Roman roads, generally known as the "Appian Way" or "Queen of Roads," was begun. by Claudius Appius about 313 Lc., and led from Rome to Capua, a dis tance of 142 Italian mile, This road was later extended to Brundisium (Brindisi), a total distance of 360 miles, and was probably finally completed by Julius Caesar. The "Flaminian
Way," the second pf the great Roman roads, was begun about 220 a.c. This road crossed the river Nar about 60 miles from Rome by means of a great stone-arch bridge with a central span of 130 feet and a rise of 100 feet. After the completion of the "Flarninian Way' road building progressed very rapidly so that when Rome reached the height of her glory no less than 29 great roads radiated from her gates. Every conquered province was soon traversed with connecting roads and the entire Roman road system of main or.military roads is estimated to have amounted to 50,000 miles.
The construction of the main Roman roads was extremely massive, consisting of four courses having a total thickness of about three feet and generally a width of from 16 to 32 feet or more. The foundation course of statunsen was composed of large flat stones bedded in mortar. On this foundation was placed the rudus, a layer of hand rock laid in a form of lime or cement mortar.• The nucleus consisted of small stones, gravel or pieces of brick and broken tile, laid in mortar. On this was placed the summa crusta, or wearing surface, of large, flat, closely-joined stones, making the total depth of the road about three feet.
The highway legislation of the Romans forms the basis for many of our present road laws. By the Roman law the right of the use of the roads was inherent in the public. The roads could be the property of no one, while the emperors or other chief magistrates were their conservators. The majority of the great highways were built by contract at the public expense. A few, however, were built, at least in part, from the spoils of war, the private munificence of emperors or great personages ambitious for public approval and acclaim Their maintenance was in part by the labor of soldiers and slaves, or by enforced labor, which sometimes took the form of taxation. But, in whatever form the maintenance was made, it was at the expense of the district through which the road passed. The local or vicinal roads were committed to the charge of the local magistrate and as a rule maintained by compulsory labor or the contributions of the whole neighborhood.