ROMAN TRACK WIDTHS

By Patrick Field

In Pompeii at the Arch of Caligula, there are stepping stones across each of the four roads forming the junction. The paved/cobbled way must have been used for many years because deep ruts had been worn into the paving where carts straddled the stones which were gapped to allow the passage of wheeled vehicles. The width between the ruts at this point averages roughly four feet imperial (1.2 metres).

If Pompeii had a ‘standard’ road width set with stepping stones which had to be the same width, the city planners and builders must have agreed a ‘standard’. Thus if wheeled vehicles were going to move goods into and around the city, the wagon builders must have adopted the same ‘standard’ for the wagon track width. This means that all, or the majority of, the wagons built in the Naples area would have needed a common track width, if commerce was to flourish.

At the Porta di Nola and other locations in the town, the measurements are more or less matched . Features such as stone paving joints (edges wear more readily than large flat areas); the hardness or softness of the stones and the camber of the road surface, all had a bearing on the way the ruts were carved. The evidence, therefore, suggests that wheels were iron tyred.

The tracking of a replica Roman chariot located on Hadrian’s Wall has also been found to be 52 inches (1.33 metres) while the yokes for the two horses were 38 inches (0.96 meters) at shoulder height showing that Roman horses were nothing like the modern Clydesdale

Similarly, the remnants of 19th century city streets show that longitudinal granite blocks set in cobbles, measure 59 inches (1.5 metres) from centre to centre while the tracking of a Northumbrian coupe cart has been shown to be 60 inches (1.53 metres).

.

.