Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1192 VIAE. VIAE.
been compelled to turn their attention to the best pieces being smaller than ill the rudus, cemented
means of facilitating the conveyance of merchan- with lime and six inches thick. Uppermost was
dize to different parts of their territory. It must the pacvimeetzm, large polygonal blocks of the
not be imagined, however, that the Romans em- hardest stone (siter), usually, at least in the vicinity
ployed from the first the elaborate process which of Rome, basaltic lava, irregular in form but fitted
we are about to describe. The first step would be and jointed with the greatest nicety (aptajanscitur
fiom the Via Terrena (Dig. 43. tit. 11. s. 2), the arte silex, Tibull. i. 7. 60) so as to present a permere track worn by the feet of men and beasts fectly even surface, as free from gaps or irreguand the wheels of waggons across the fields, to the larities as if the whole had been one solid mass,
Via Glareata, where the surface was hardened by and presenting much the same external appearance
gravel; and even after pavement was introduced as the most carefully built polygonal walls of the.the blocks seem originally to have rested merely old Pelasgian towns. The general aspect will be
on a bed of small stones. (Liv. xli. 27; compare understood from the cut given below of a portion
Liv. x. 23. 47.) of the street at the entrance of Pompeii. (Mazois,
Livy has recorded (ix. 29) that the censorship Les Ruines de.Pompei, vol. i. pl. xxxvii.)
of Appius eCaecus (B.c. 312) was rendered celebrated in after ages from his having brought water
into the city and paved a road (quod viam mesusicit
et aquam in urbem peerdexit), the renowned Via
Appia, which extended in the first instance from
Rome to Capua, although we can scarcely suppose [
that it was carried so great a distance in a single
lustrum. (Niebuhr, RUst. Geseh. iii. p. 356.) We'
undoubtedly hear long before this period of the
Via Latina (Liv. ii. 39), the Viea Gabina (Liv. ii.
l, iii. 6, v. 49), and the Via Salariae (Liv. vii. 9),
&c.; but even if we allow that Livy does not em- I
ploy these names by a sort of prolepsis, in order to
indicate conveniently a particular direction (and i
that he does speak by anticipation when he refers
to milestones in some of the above passages is certain), yet we have no proof whatever that they
were laid down according to the method afterwards adopted with so much success. (Compare
Vitruvius enters into no details with regard to
-road-making, but he gives lmost minute directions I
for pavements, and the fragments of ancient pavements still existing and answering to his description
correspond so exactly with the -remains of the mili- The centre of the way wan a little elevated so
tary roads, that we cannot doubt that the processes as to permit the water to run off easily, and hence
followed in each case were identical, and thus the terms agger vice (Isidor. xv. 16. ~ 7; Ammian.
Vitruvius (vii. 1), combined with the poem of Marcellin. xix. 16; compare Virg. Aen. v. 273);
Statius (Silv. iv. 3), on the Via Dosmiticna, will and sumnmuze dorsuam (Stat. 1. c.), although both
supply all the technical terns. may be applied to the whole surface of the paviIn the first place, two shallow trenches (slci) mentum. Occasionally, at least in cities, rectanwere dug parallel to each other, marking the breadth gular slabs of softer stone were employed instead
of the proposed road; this in the great lines, such of the irregular polygons of silex, as we perceive
as the Via Appia, the Via Flamsinia, the Via to have been the case in the forum of Trajan,
Valeria, &c., is found to have been from 13 to 15 which was paved with travertino, and in part of
feet, the Via Tusculala is 11, while those of less the great forum under the colunn of Phocas, and
importance, from not being great thoroughfares, hence the distinction between the phrases silico
such as the Via which leads up to the temple of stersere and saxo quadrato sternere. (Liv. x. 23,
Jupiter Latialis, on the summit of the Alban xli. 27.) It must be observed, that while on the
Mount, and which is to this day singularly per- one hand recourse was had to piling, when a solid
feet, seem to have been exactly 8 feet wide. The foundation could not otherwise be obtained, So, on
loose earth between the Sulci was then removed, the other hand, when the road was carried over
and the excavation continued until a solid founda- rock, the statumen and the rudus were dispensed
tion (gremiiut) was reached, upon which the mla- with altogether, and the nucleus was spread ila:
terials of the road might firmly rest; if this could mediately on the stony surface previously smoothed
not be attained, in consequence of tile swampy to receive it. This is seen to have beeti the case,
nature of the ground or from any peculiarity in the we are informed by local antiquaries, on the Via
soil, a basis was formed artificially by driving piles Appia, below Albano, where it was cut through a
(fistucatioeibus). Above the yreniznue were four dis- mass of volcanic peperino.
tinct strata. The lowest course was the statumne, Nor was this all. Regular foot-paths (~sargi,-2es,
consisting of stones not smaller than the hland could Liv. xli. 27, crepidiees, Petron. 9; Orelli, Iszscrip.
justgrasp; above the statumen was the rudus, amass n. 3844; aulrnbones, Stat. Silv. iv. 3. 47) were
of broken stones cemented with lime, (what masons raised upon each side and strewed with gravel, the
call rubble-worlk,) ratmnTed down hard and nine different parts uere strengthened and bound toinches thick; above the rudus came the nucleus, gether with go/zopli or stone wedges (Stat. 1. c.),
composed of fragslsents of bricks and pottery, the an:d stone blecks were set up at Loderate intervals