Prompt Cast
The Origin and Legacy of the Phrase "All Roads Lead to Rome"
TLDR The phrase "all roads lead to Rome" originated from a monument in Rome and has been used figuratively to represent an ultimate goal or heaven. Roman roads were extensive and well-built, with over 300 roads and over 50,000 miles of paved roads in the Roman Empire, many of which still exist today.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The phrase "all roads lead to Rome" comes from a monument called the miliarium aureum in Rome.
01:30
The phrase "all roads lead to Rome" comes from an 11th century French theologian, and in English it first appeared in Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolab in 1391, with Rome being used figuratively as an ultimate goal or heaven.
02:46
Augustus, the Curator Viarum, created the Miliarium Orium, a column in the Roman Forum, which may have replaced the Umbilicus Urbus Romai as the point from which roads were measured in Rome.
03:51
There were over 300 roads in the Roman Empire, with over 50,000 miles of paved roads, many of which still exist today.
05:03
Roman roads were built with several layers of compacted earth, stones, sand, and cement, and the top layers of cobblestones were curved for rainwater runoff, while Roman bridges, many of which are still in use today, were built to last and are still standing after close to 2,000 years.
06:09
Constantine the Great erected the Milian arch in the 4th century, which became the new starting point for all road measurements in the Byzantine Empire for over a thousand years, and this tradition of having a starting point for all roads is still carried on today in many countries.
07:19
In almost every case, the data analysts found that all roads lead to Rome, and there is now a town named Rome on every continent except Antarctica.
