
The legacy of the Roman Empire can today be seen from space.

Satellite images show lights from prospering towns surrounding Roman roads that were built 2,000 years ago.

In a new study, researchers have confirmed that these Roman roads still act as a hot bed for economic growth and activity, much in the same way they did almost two millennia ago.

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Researchers have revealed how economic growth today is linked with Roman roads built 2,000 years ago. They did this by looking at the record of Roman roads from the Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilisations (DARMC) above. You can zoom in on the interactive map to find where Roman roads were built across Europe

Scientists found that the backbone of many strong economies throughout have been boosted by the presence of ancient Roman highways. They analysed the population density and the intensity of lights at night along almost 50,000 miles (80,000km) of Roman routes. This map shows the roads that shaped the Roman empire (in red) across Europe

Researchers from the universities of Copenhagen and Gothenburg studied Roman roads from AD117 using satellite images and the Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilisations (DARMC).

They looked at population density and the intensity of lights at night along 50,000 miles (80,000km) of Roman roads.

By AD117, Romans had built roads across most of the continent from Hadrian's wall down to parts of the Middle East.

The Romans mostly built in 'newly conquered undeveloped regions' in a bid to establish strong trade routes.

They purposefully built their roads to be very straight to make journey times as short as possible.

In their study, the scientists found 'a remarkable pattern of persistence' that showed great Roman road density was linked to greater economic activity in 2010.

‹ Slide me › The main Roman roads across Britain are shown by the red lines on the map on the right, which correspond to the lights seen on the left captured from the International Space Station

Roman roads and nigh light intensity around Lutetia (Paris). The brighter regions around the cities and ancient roads also form a relationship between increased prevalence of Roman highways and economic prosperity. Major Roman roads are shown in red and country areas are shown in white. Darker areas show a higher intensity of light

HOW IMPORTANT ARE ROMAN ROADS? Via Giulia Augusta leading across the Pont Flavien in Saint-Chamas in southern France, is pictured above Roman roads were large structures, typically measuring 16 to 23ft (five to seven metres) wide. They reached a height of around one-and-a-half feet (half a metre) in the centre. While the Romans were famous for building roads in straight lines, the discovery of a road between Ribchester and Lancaster shows they also took the natural geography of a place into account, to avoid steep hills, for example. The roads were used to transport goods efficiently and for marching soldiers. Preservation of Roman roads in the UK varies, with some still protruding from the land and easily visible. Others are hidden under earth and have only been found thanks to Lidar. For decades after the 43AD Roman invasion of Britain, a large region of the North, including what is now Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria, was controlled by a Celtic tribe known as the Brigantes. Roman writer Tacitus wrote it was the collapse of the marriage between Queen Cartimandua of the Brigantes - a Roman ally and her husband Venetius - that led to a showdown with Rome. Roman roads were large structures, typically measuring 16 to 23ft (five to seven metres) wide. In the image above left, chariot ruts can be seen on the Via Domitia near Ambrussum. On the right, a view of Via Applia Antica Following their divorce, Venetius organised a revolt in 69AD and Cartimandua fled. The Emperor Vespasian then sent a force under Britain's new governor, Quintus Petilius Cerialis, to put down the rebellion and conquer northern England. Building roads to link up forts and settlements across this rugged landscape was a vital part of this decades-long conquest of the North. The Romans purposefully built their roads to be very straight to make journey times as short as possible. As compasses were yet to be invented, Roman surveyors used a piece of equipment called a groma – a wooden cross with weights hanging down from it - to help make the roads straight. The roads were used to transport goods efficiently and for marching soldiers. Preservation of Roman roads in the UK varies, with some still protruding from the land and easily visible. Many of the roads paved direct routes between isolated regions and towns. This network greatly encouraged trade at the time as the travel time was slashed. Research has found that many of the roads that have existed for millennia have formed the backbone of economic routes to this day. Advertisement

'From a bird's-eye view, there does seem to be [a] link between the location of ancient roads and economic activity today', they said.

The connection, however, was not as strong in Middle Eastern and north African regions due to a move from wheeled transport to camel caravans, according to the Times.

As compasses were yet to be invented, Roman surveyors used a piece of equipment called a groma – a wooden cross with weights hanging down from it - to help make the roads straight. The roads were used to transport goods efficiently and for marching soldiers. This picture shows Italy, Naples and Rome, from space

Via Appia from Rome to Capua in 312 BCE. This was one of the most important routes in ancient Rome and likely helped the Empire dominate for several centuries. Scientists found '[a] link between the location of ancient roads and economic activity today.'

Today, preservation of Roman roads across the world varies. In the UK, some are still protruding from the land and easily visible.

Famous Roman roads in the UK include Watling Street, which ran from London to Chester, and the Fosse Way, which crossed from Exeter to Lincoln.

Because Roman roads are so well-built and extensive, they can be easily seen and plotted from space.

That is exactly what Nasa astronaut Shane Kimbrough did in 2017.

Kimbrough took a series of images while flying 250 miles (400km) over Earth from the International Space Station that showed the Earth at night with lights illuminating the busy towns and cities.