Roads, Byzantine

Abstract

Abstract The Byzantines inherited the all‐weather road system built by the Roman legions in the eastern provinces and elsewhere ( see Roads, Roman Empire). It was this extensive road system that enabled Roman armies to move rapidly, respond efficiently to external threats, and enjoy access to sources of supply. Their secondary use was for transport of commercial goods, although shipping by sea was easier, faster, and less expensive. Byzantium also maintained the Roman postal system on major roads, most of which had way stations at regular intervals for this purpose. Most roads were built and maintained by the army for military purposes, and road administration in the Byzantine empire was thus more or less centralized through the sixth century. From the seventh century onward, there is no evidence to support centralized management of road building or maintenance in the provinces. Byzantine sources differentiate between wide and narrow roads, or paved and unpaved roads, and between roads suitable for wheeled vehicles and those that were not.