Health AI Central
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Nat Commun2026;17(1)September 15, 2026Journal Article

Network science reveals the structure and lasting impact of the Roman road system.

Adam Pažout1,2,3,4, Tom Brughmans5,6,7, Pau de Soto4, Matteo Mazzamurro1,2,3,8, María Coto-Sarmiento1,2,3,9, Clara Filet10, Eduardo Herrera Malatesta11, Magnus L Nielsen1,3, Gustav Emil Ølgaard1,3, Peter B Vahlstrup12
1Department of History and Classical Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
2Social Resilience Lab, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
3Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet), Aarhus University, Højbjerg, Denmark.
4Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Clàssica (GRAC_UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
5Department of History and Classical Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark. t.b@cas.au.dk.
6Social Resilience Lab, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark. t.b@cas.au.dk.
7Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet), Aarhus University, Højbjerg, Denmark. t.b@cas.au.dk.
8School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
9Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, HUMANE, Human Ecology and Archaeology Research Group, Milà i Fontanals Institution for Research and Humanities, IMF-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain.
10Institut Ausonius UMR 5607, University of Bordeaux-Montaigne, Pessac, France.
11Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
12Center for Humanities Computing, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
PubMed DOI

Abstract

Ancient infrastructure can leave lasting imprints on modern settlement patterns and mobility. The Roman road network connected vast regions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and is often mentioned as an example of such long-term impact. Yet its structural characteristics remain largely unquantified. Here we present a high spatial resolution quantitative exploratory analysis of the Roma…

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