Researchers from the University of Exeter in England have unveiled a massive road system from the Roman Empire era in the United Kingdom. The network connected key settlements and military forts, spanning a total length of about 13 kilometers. The study appears in the Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology.
The team combined lidar-assisted laser scanning with computer modeling and an analysis of historical weather events to infer how the roads may have stood and shifted over time. Through this approach, they identified a sequence of road segments west of Exeter and restored a map that outlines the full network.
Although scholars have long acknowledged the presence of Roman roads in Britain, no one had previously produced a complete map of the entire system. The city once believed to be the central hub of the network, Exeter, appears to have been surpassed by North Taunton in importance as a junction point. The roads also linked several military facilities, including Old Barrow and Beacon at Martinho, underscoring the strategic role of these routes in communication and defense.
Experts say that reconstructing this network helps illuminate the hierarchical organization of Roman settlements in southwestern Britain. The clarified map provides a valuable foundation for ongoing archaeological work in the region, guiding future surveys and excavations and offering new context for past findings.
Earlier work in the field has included uncovering an ancient cave entrance that was abandoned by humans around 16,000 years ago, illustrating the long timeline of human activity in the landscape and the evolving use of natural and built environments over millennia.