An ''itinerarium'' (plural: ''itineraria'') was an ancient Roman travel guide in the form of a listing of cities, villages ( ''vici'') and other stops on the way, including the distances between each stop and the next. Surviving examples include the Antonine Itinerary and the Bordeaux Itinerary.

Ancient practice

The Romans and ancient travelers in general did not use

maps A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...

. While illustrated maps existed as specialty items, they were hard to copy and not in general use. On the Roman road system, however, the traveller needed some idea of where he or she was going, how to get there, and how long it would take. The ''itinerarium'' filled this need. In origin it was simply a list of cities along a road: "at their most basic, ''itineraria'' involve the transposition of information given on

milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

s, which were an integral feature of the major Roman roads, to a written script." It was only a short step from lists to a master list. To sort out the lists, the Romans drew diagrams of parallel lines showing the branches of the roads. Parts of these were copied and sold on the streets. The very best featured symbols for cities, way stations, water courses, and so on. The maps did not represent landforms but they served the purpose of a simple

schematic diagram A schematic, or schematic diagram, is a designed representation of the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the key information the sc ...

for the user. The Roman government from time to time undertook to produce a master itinerary of all Roman roads.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

and

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

commissioned the first known such effort in 44 BC. Zenodoxus, Theodotus, and Polyclitus, three Greek geographers, were hired to survey the system and compile a master itinerary. This task required over 25 years. The result was a stone engraved master ''itinerarium'' set up near the Pantheon, from which travelers and itinerary sellers could make copies.

Vicarello cups

Archaeology has turned up some itinerary material in unexpected places. The

Vicarello Cups The Vicarello Cups are four silver cups discovered in 1852 near the baths of ''Aquae Apollinares'', at Vicarello, Italy, near Lake Bracciano. Their appearance recalls Roman milestones and they are engraved with the route from ancient Gades (mod ...

, four silver cups dated to 1st century AD which were found by workmen excavating a foundation at (near Bracciano) northwest of Rome in 1852, are engraved with the names and distances of 104 stations on the road between Gades (modern-day Cadiz) and Rome, covering in total a distance of 1,840 Roman miles (). Believed to be a votive offering by merchants travelling from Gades to Rome, the inscription is a valuable source of information about the road network at the time, and scholars refer to this artefact as the '' Itinerarium Gaditanum''. Similarly the '' Itinerarium Burdigalense'' (Bordeaux Itinerary) is a description of a route taken by a pilgrim from

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

in France to the Holy Land in AD 333.

Other meanings

The term changed meaning over the centuries. For example, the '' Itinerarium Alexandri'' is a list of the conquests of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

. In the medieval period the term was applied to guide-books written by travelers, most of which were accounts of

pilgrimages A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the Holy Land.

References

{{Authority control Roman itineraries Map types Maps

Ancient practice

Vicarello cups

Other meanings

See also

References