Key facts
- OmnesViae is a new digital tool that reconstructs the Roman Empire's road network.
- Users can input starting and ending points to calculate ancient travel times.
- The tool utilizes historical data from sources such as the Tabula Peutingeriana and Antonine Itinerary.
- It highlights routes on a modern map and provides information on intermediate stops.
- The project was developed by René Voorburg and incorporates AI for translations and illustrations.
A new digital tool named OmnesViae, described as the 'Google Maps' for the Roman Empire, has been launched online, allowing users to explore the ancient road network and calculate historical travel times. Developed by Dutch engineer René Voorburg, the platform utilizes historical data, academic sources, and cartography to reconstruct the Roman Empire's cursus publicus, or official road network.
The tool is accessible via any web browser, including on mobile phones. Users can input a starting point and destination, and OmnesViae calculates the fastest route based on distances recorded in ancient sources, highlighting it on a modern map. It also provides details on intermediate stops, noting that many Roman roads followed river courses or passed near existing settlements.
For example, when plotting a route from Madrid (Miaccum) to Milan (Mediolanvm), the system identifies Complutum (Alcalá de Henares) as an early stop. The estimated journey time for this route is 43 days, covering approximately 1,500 Roman miles. This contrasts sharply with modern travel times, which can be around 14 days on foot or just 16 hours by car.
OmnesViae is built upon historical documents such as the Tabula Peutingeriana, a medieval copy of a Roman map, and the Antonine Itinerary, which provides data for areas where the Tabula is incomplete. Voorburg's work draws on historian Richard Talbert's research and location data from the Pleiades Project. The project's code and database are open-access. Voorburg continuously updates the tool, which was originally active between 2011 and 2024.