Itinerarium
An itinerarium was an ancient Roman travel guide in the form of a listing of cities, villages and other stops on the way. These documents included distances between each stop and the next. Surviving examples include the Antonine Itinerary and the Bordeaux Itinerary. The Romans did not use maps for general travel purposes. Illustrated maps existed as specialty items but were hard to copy and not in general use. A traveller needed some idea of where they were going and how long it would take. The itinerarium filled this need by transposing information given on milestones into a written script. Jaś Elsner noted that these lists involved the transposition of data from physical markers found along major roads.
The government undertook to produce a master itinerary of all Roman roads from time to time. Julius Caesar and Mark Antony commissioned the first known such effort in 44 BCE. Three Greek geographers named Zenodoxus, Theodotus of Byzantium, and Polykleitos the Younger were hired to survey the system. This task required over 25 years to complete. The result was a stone-engraved master itinerarium set up near the Pantheon. Travellers and itinerary sellers could make copies from this central source. Parts of these lists were copied and sold on the streets. The best versions featured symbols for cities, way stations and watercourses.
Archaeology has turned up some itinerary material in unexpected places. Four Vicarello Cups made of silver were found in 1852 by workmen excavating a foundation near Bracciano northwest of Rome. These cups are dated to the 1st century AD. They are engraved with the names and distances of 104 stations on the road between Gades and Rome. The total distance covered is 1,840 Roman miles. Scholars refer to this artefact as the Itinerarium Gaditanum. Believed to be a votive offering by merchants travelling from Gades to Rome, the inscription provides valuable information about the road network at that time. Similarly the Itinerarium Burdigalense describes a route taken by a pilgrim from Bordeaux in France to the Holy Land in AD 333.
The term changed meaning over the centuries. For example the Itinerarium Alexandri is a list of the conquests of Alexander the Great. In the medieval period the term was applied to guide-books written by travelers. Most of these accounts were descriptions of pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The original definition focused strictly on practical lists of cities along a road. Later usage expanded to include broader historical and religious narratives. This shift demonstrates how language evolves alongside cultural needs and travel patterns across different eras.
These text-based route descriptions were complemented by physical markers on the ground such as the miliarium or Roman milestone. Milestones confirmed distances along the described route. To organize the lists authors diagrammed parallel lines to show the branches of the roads. The maps did not depict landforms but served as simple schematics for the user. They featured symbols for cities way stations and watercourses. Parts of these diagrams were copied and sold on the streets. The very best versions included detailed visual indicators for key locations along the journey.
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Common questions
What is an itinerarium in ancient Roman travel?
An itinerarium was an ancient Roman travel guide in the form of a listing of cities, villages and other stops on the way. These documents included distances between each stop and the next.
When did Julius Caesar commission the first known master itinerary of all Roman roads?
Julius Caesar and Mark Antony commissioned the first known such effort in 44 BCE. Three Greek geographers named Zenodoxus, Theodotus of Byzantium, and Polykleitos the Younger were hired to survey the system.
Where were the four Vicarello Cups found and what do they contain?
Four Vicarello Cups made of silver were found in 1852 by workmen excavating a foundation near Bracciano northwest of Rome. They are engraved with the names and distances of 104 stations on the road between Gades and Rome.
Who wrote the Itinerarium Burdigalense and when was it created?
The Itinerarium Burdigalense describes a route taken by a pilgrim from Bordeaux in France to the Holy Land in AD 333. This text serves as a historical record of that specific journey.
How did the meaning of itinerarium change over the centuries?
In the medieval period the term was applied to guide-books written by travelers describing pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Later usage expanded to include broader historical and religious narratives beyond practical lists of cities along a road.