The inscriptions were given the name of the Emperor to designate which year it was built or commissioned in - Romans didn’t use any sensible system regularly, like numbering the years from a set date. So, luckily for the stone carvers, the Emperor’s name didn’t ever need to be replaced.
Oh, I thought it was so that people who had been away would know if there was a new emperor lol. Better for history since it’s a clear record of what emperors ordered what roads built. Know what portion of them survived to modern times?
Not sure. In places they were built over in the modern day, or repaired with modern techniques before “historical preservation” became a big thing, but there are a hell of a lot of them that still avoided those fates. Still-usable (for foot traffic) Roman roads positively litter Europe, even in Britain, which was the edge of the Empire. Thousands and thousands of miles’ worth.
The inscriptions were given the name of the Emperor to designate which year it was built or commissioned in - Romans didn’t use any sensible system regularly, like numbering the years from a set date. So, luckily for the stone carvers, the Emperor’s name didn’t ever need to be replaced.
Oh, I thought it was so that people who had been away would know if there was a new emperor lol. Better for history since it’s a clear record of what emperors ordered what roads built. Know what portion of them survived to modern times?
Not sure. In places they were built over in the modern day, or repaired with modern techniques before “historical preservation” became a big thing, but there are a hell of a lot of them that still avoided those fates. Still-usable (for foot traffic) Roman roads positively litter Europe, even in Britain, which was the edge of the Empire. Thousands and thousands of miles’ worth.
That’s cool, thanks for the information!
Anytime!
Removed, occasionally, but not replaced
“We’re just gonna forget this one ever happened…”