What were the streets like in Roman times?
The Romans clearly understood the importance of good foundations as a basis to the quality and durability of the final result. Where possible this implied digging down into the ground a couple of feet in order to rest the work onto a more solid base. This itself would be compacted and prepared with sand and compacted stones. Where necessary drainage and other hydraulic works would be installed underneath the road level, particularly in totally new urban areas. Where solid ground was not available a stronger foundation could be provided through wooden piles and “tram lines” over which the road would be laid. We all consider the “typical” Roman road as having been surfaced with large durable stone slabs, but this was not always the case. Several centuries of road construction works inevitably led to a variety of construction techniques. Some sources suggest that at least into the first century BC it was normal to lay slabs on the urban sections of road whilst the cross-country sections (
