That's over 100,000 kilometers more than we knew was there.

A new digital map of the road network that once connected the Roman Empire has been created, revealing a staggeringly vast constellation of interlocking routes. Named Itiner-e, the new digital map includes 299,171 kilometers (186,000 miles) of ancient roads spanning from the British Isles to the Middle East.

Famous for their straight roads, the Romans are known to have relied upon their transport infrastructure to maintain and expand their imperial control, while also allowing the movement of people and goods. However, until now, this extensive system of highways had remained poorly mapped.

The Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, for example, has remained the most complete ancient roadmap since it was published 25 years ago, yet its resolution is poor, with a scale of one to one million in certain parts. The researchers behind Itiner-e therefore set out to improve upon this, providing a far more detailed and reliable Roman road atlas – and you can view it online here.