Editing Roman Empire (section)

===Transportation and communication===
{{Further|Cursus publicus}}
[[File:TabulaPeutingeriana Roma.jpg|thumb|The [[Tabula Peutingeriana]] ([[Latin]] for "The Peutinger Map") an ''[[Itinerarium]]'', often assumed to be based on the Roman ''cursus publicus'']]
The Empire completely encircled the Mediterranean, which they called "our sea" (''[[Mare Nostrum]]'').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Greene |first=Kevin |title=The Archaeology of the Roman Economy |date=1990 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-5200-7401-9 |page=17}}</ref> Roman sailing vessels navigated the Mediterranean as well as major rivers.{{Sfnp|Boardman|2000|p=721}} Transport by water was preferred where possible, as moving commodities by land was more difficult.{{Sfnp|Boardman|2000|p=714}} Vehicles, wheels, and ships indicate the existence of a great number of skilled woodworkers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ulrich |first=Roger Bradley |url=https://archive.org/details/RomanWoodworking |title=Roman Woodworking |date=2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-3001-0341-0 |pages=1–2}}</ref>

Land transport utilized the advanced system of [[Roman roads]], called "''viae''". These roads were primarily built for military purposes,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Van Tilburg |first=Cornelis |title=Traffic and Congestion in the Roman Empire |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |page=33}}</ref> but also served commercial ends. The in-kind taxes paid by communities included the provision of personnel, animals, or vehicles for the ''[[cursus publicus]]'', the state mail and transport service established by Augustus.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=188}} Relay stations were located along the roads every seven to twelve [[Roman mile]]s, and tended to grow into villages or trading posts.{{Sfnp|Stambaugh|1988|p=253}} A ''[[mansio]]'' (plural ''mansiones'') was a privately run service station franchised by the imperial bureaucracy for the ''cursus publicus''. The distance between ''mansiones'' was determined by how far a wagon could travel in a day.{{Sfnp|Stambaugh|1988|p=253}} Carts were usually pulled by mules, travelling about 4&nbsp;mph.<ref>[[Ray Laurence]], "Land Transport in Roman Italy: Costs, Practice and the Economy", in ''Trade, Traders and the Ancient City'' (Routledge, 1998), p. 129.</ref>