A HISTORY OF ROADS FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE MOTOR AGE A THESIS Submitted in partiF.1 fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering by Herbert Reinhold Jacobson Georgia School of Technology Atlanta, Georgia 1940 APPROVED H 1 ' H WAY S OF THE WO MAN ' M Pi PREFACE The writer has attempted in this thesis to compile in a single volume the history of roads from ancient times to the motor age. With the introduction of the motor vehicle such a drastic change in design and methods of construction of high- ways took place that the field of highway engineering was com- pletely revolutionized. Priorto the motor age, the tempo of life was in tune with the fastest rate at which a horse could travel, and the given amount of articles of trade depended upon the ability of the beasts of burden to transport limited loads. Considering the total lack of mechanical equipment, the highway engineer of the past displayed considerable foresight and ingenuity in solving the problem of transport and his knowledge of the principles of engineering are worthy of utmost respect when we consider that hand labor was the only means at his command with which to overcome the same tre- mendous obstacles of nature which the modern engineer conquers with the assistance of mechanized giants. Volumes have been written on the subject of Roman roads, creating the impression that the Romans were the originators of road construction, but well built paved roads existed throughout the ancient world several thousand years before Rome crept out of the Pontine Marshes to sit on her Seven Hills and rule the world. The curiosity of historians even seems to have been dimmed by this belief in the originality of the Romans as inventors of road building, yet, the existence of magnificent civilizations long buried under stratified debris and the tremendous volume of trade necessary to develop these civilizations, presupposes the existence of well built roads to carry the trade so essential to the well-being of these ancient peoples. As far as is known to the writer, this is the first attempt to cover the subject of roads in its various stages and settings from most ancient times, giving due credit to each civilization as it strode across the stage of history. All of the information contained in this thesis has been obtained from the Carnegie Library of Atlanta and the Emory University Library. The writer especially wishes to express his gratitude to the Emory Univer- sity Library for the unlimited privileges granted him and the courtesies extended in carrying on his research. Full acknowl- edgment is also given to Doctor F. C. Snow and Professor J. H. Lucas whose unfailing cooperation and constant interest in the subject has made the work a pleasure. It is realized, of course, that the scope of the subject covered in this thesis is introductory only when one considers that whole civilizations and thousands of years are involved, but with Tai Tung, "Were I to await perfection, my book would never be finished." CONTENTS Page The Road Man Came 1 Egyptian Roads 8 The Land between the Rivers 24 China 43 India and Persia 59 The AEgean Civilization 68 Other Pre-Roman Roads 74 Roman Roads 85 European Roads 107 Pioneers of Modern Road Construction 127 Ancient American Highways 142 Roads in the United States 166 Roads of the Future 186 "If you wish to know whether society is stagnant, religion a dead formality, you may learn something by going into universi- ties and libraries; something also by the work that is doing on cathedrals and church- es, or in them; but quite as much by looking at the roads. For if there is any motion in society, the Road, which is the symbol of motion, will indicate the fact. When there is activity or enlargement, or a liberizing spirit of any kind, then there is intercourse and travel, and these require roads. So if there is any kind of advancement going on, if new ideas are abroad and new hopes rising, then you will see it by the roads that are building. Nothing makes an inroad without making a road. All creative action, whether in government, industry, thought or religion, creates roads." Horace Bushnell THE ROAD MAN CAME "Musing, I shut my eyes And think of the road I have come.” Li Hai-ku THE ROAD MAN CAME Man has travelled the face of the earth throughout untold milleniums and in so doing has used that which he first of all things created, for, "In the beginning was the road." A roof to shelter him from the storms, a fire to warm his chilled body, a weapon to guard his life, a word to speak to friend or foe, a seed to plant for bodily sustenance, an animal to bear his burdens; all these were creations of his growing mentality which grasped and solved the problems of life as he walked his roads and observed that which went on about him. The road has been with us as long as there has been a liv- ing thing to trod and crawl the earth. Man, when he first went in search of food and water, established a path to be followed by recurrent waves of civilizations from the dim past, stum- bling and halting at times, but ever moving forward until today we stand in his place and ponder the way which he came; trails worn deep by the countless feet of animals lead today as always to feeding grounds and watering places; reptiles even, such as boa constrictors, are known to have definite routes which they travel, tunnelled through the almost impenetrable denseness of jungle growth. These trails, humble though they be, are the forerunners of our modern high-speed highways,for in many cases roads today may follow in whole or in part these paths establish- ed by primitive man and by animals whose instinctsled them to choose the easiest gradients and to cross mountains by the like- liest passes. The ability of animals to select the best locations over which to travel is excellently demonstrated here in the United States by the buffalopover whose trails, to a large extent, the tides of a restless and adventurous people flowed to conquer the wilderness and create a new and powerful natiol. Hulbert states that: "The buffalo,because of his sagacious selection of the most sure and most direct courses, has influenced the routes of trade and travel of the white race as much, possibly, as he influenced the course of the red men in earlier days. There is great truth in Thomas Benton's figure when he said that the buffalo blazed the way of the railways to the Pacific. That sagacious animal un- doubtedly 'blazed' with his hoofs on the surface of the earth - the course of many of our roads ; canals and railways. That he found the points of least resistance across our great mountain ranges there can be little doubt. It is certain that he discovered Cumberland Gap and his route through that pass in the mountains has been accepted as one of the most important on the con- tinent. It is also obvious that the buffalo found the course from Atlantic Waters to the head of the Great Kanawha, and that he opened a way from the Potomac to the Ohio. flIn a host of instances our highways and railroads follow for many miles the general line of the routes of the buffalo and Indian on the high ground. This is particularly true of our roads of secondary importance, county roads, which in hundreds of instances follow the alignment of a pioneer road which was laid out on an Indian trail.n Man at first, of course, devoured his food at the site of the kill, but having established a home in a cave, he carried it there on his back, or if the burden proved too great, he dragged it, thus widening his road from a mere footpath. Later on he learned that his burden could be transported with less effort by laying it across the branches of a tree and dragging it along in this manner, and later still he probably improved upon this method by constructing a rude sled of limbs and cross- pieces. Dragging the burden in this manner - food for his family or wood for his fire - brought about the first step in road construction and maintenEnce,for rocks End other obstructions that could readily be sidestepped in :talking caused delas and extra effort to readjust tne load,tolif' it back upon his crude sled. This soon taught him to keep his paths clear of obstruct- ions. Domestication of animals relieved m n of the burden of trans- port so that he had greater opportunity to observe and to evolve new ideas; not only that, it opened up new territory from which to obtain things vhich he did not pos es:. :ore important than this, however, it made him master over other living creatures and the owner of tangible property, gave him self assurance and forthwith propelled him forward on the long, uphill climb to civiliztion. One of the most vital of all things created by man at any time throughout his entire history is the wheel. Pro g enitor of every mechanical invention we have today, it has probably had a more potent effect upon our oresent civilization than any other one factor. IJore than ever before are we dependent upon this humble invention, for we regulate our lives by the Yheels in watches; ve travel the earth, the sea, the sky by means of wheels; v e harvest and process our food, weave our clothing, light and heat our homes, print our books and papers, manu- facture all manner of goods; all by the use of wheels.