1 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Invention. My name is Robert Lamb and 2 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: I'm Joe McCormick and Robert. I don't know if you've 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: ever had this experience, You've ever been out walking in 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: nature and you decided to veer off the path for 5 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: some reason, Maybe you saw something interesting way off there 6 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: in the distance you wanted to go check it out, 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: only to immediately discover, to your own humiliation, how difficult 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: it is to walk through uncleared terrain. Oh yeah, yeah, 9 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: I've definitely had this experience before. And that's not even 10 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: getting into you know, issues of ticks and other parasites. 11 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, there's there's the tick problem, definitely. But like, 12 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: unless you're somebody with a particular class of outdoor hobbies 13 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: or lines of work, you would probably be so embarrassed 14 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: to realize how much of your life you spend on 15 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: pre selected traversible pathways like the floor of your house 16 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: or workplace, the sidewalk to the door, the sidewalk down 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: the road, the road itself. Even when you go out 18 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: in nature, it's really likely that you probably spend most 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: of your time out there following some kind of forged 20 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: or trodden pathway. And if you get off the path. 21 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: Planet Earth almost immediately transforms into this unruly and difficult 22 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: place with uneven footing and branches and rocks and vegetation 23 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: blocking your path, sudden drop off, steep inclines. This is Earth, 24 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: and this is what a large part of the surface 25 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: of Planet Earth is like. And much of it is 26 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: just not made to be quickly and easily traveled over. 27 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: It's funny, how even if you go out and spend 28 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: a decent amount of time in nature, you can mostly 29 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: overlook this fact just by staying on the path. So 30 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: that's what we wanted to look at today. Something we 31 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: don't often even think of as a human invention, but 32 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: in a way certainly is the roads we travel. That's right, 33 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: it's a it's it's really an essential part of the 34 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: world that we have created. Um. But however, if we 35 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: if we want to understand the human history of roads, 36 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: and even get into the pre human history of roads, 37 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: we have to acknowledge the work of our of our 38 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: non human relatives, of the work of animals, because because 39 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,519 Speaker 1: we do have animal paths. To consider the trails left 40 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: by say, deer in the forest, the buffalo roads across 41 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: the western plains of North America, animals on the move 42 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: from one area to another had to push aside vegetation, 43 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: and in the act of moving they end up trampling 44 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: down the earth beneath their weight. And we're talking about 45 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: a lot of weight when we're considering wide ranging megafauna, 46 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: you know, some of which we still have today, but 47 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: we had even more of in prehistoric times. I guess 48 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: before there were the cattle roads where the orax roads 49 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: or something. Yeah, and of course when other animals came 50 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: along in their wake. Uh, these paths were there, and 51 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: they often represented the swiftest, least least obstructive way to 52 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: get from one place to another. Yeah, it's certainly interesting 53 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: to think about animal trails as being a tight of 54 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: geomodification or adaptation of the landscape itself to the organism. Now, 55 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,839 Speaker 1: a lot of the ways that organisms survive are by 56 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: adapting to the landscape around them. But sometimes they survive 57 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: by changing the landscape to better suit them, and they 58 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: don't necessarily do this consciously. Is just their activities bring 59 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: this about the big examples or things like beaver dams. 60 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: Beaver dams is just altering the immediate environment or or 61 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: even looking to mega fauna that such as an elephant 62 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 1: that may push push down trees and other vegetation. Yeah, 63 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: but of course we can see paths emerging that in 64 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: some ways play some of the same roles. Yeah, now 65 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: I do I do want to drive home here though 66 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: that even though animal trails are are often brought up 67 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: as being sort of the pre human origin of roads 68 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: and human pathways and certainly seem to play a role 69 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: in them. Uh, there are some who take issue with 70 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: with giving animal trails too much importance, are arguing that, well, 71 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: animals don't actually follow consistent paths all the time, so 72 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: it's not a you know, a definite connection here, but 73 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: it is one that is pointed out in a lot 74 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: of the literature. And speaking of the literature, one of 75 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: the books that we look to for this episode is 76 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: a book by the title of Ways of the World, 77 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: A History of the World's Roads and of the Vehicles 78 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: that used Them, by Maxwell Gordon lay On, Australian civil engineer, 79 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: published in nineteen two. In the book, lay says that 80 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,359 Speaker 1: you know, on this whole issue of animal paths, it 81 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: really depends on the environment. He says, quote difficult to 82 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: rain or dense of vegetation in fertile areas would certainly 83 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: have required narrow and specific animal ways. So even if yeah, 84 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: you can say that, uh, you know, animals aren't gonna 85 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 1: always follow consistent paths, there are going to be environments 86 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: where there is like one best way to get from 87 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: point A to point b. If point a to point 88 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: B is indeed a path that needs to be navigated 89 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: by animals. One way to see an analogy here is 90 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: if you ever look at the the desire paths that 91 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 1: form along a college campus or or yard of a 92 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: well populated building or something. Do you ever see these 93 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: at College Robert where there would be like paved pathways, 94 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 1: but then branching off in a shortcut between two places, 95 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: there would be a place where the grass was just 96 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: beaten down and there was a dusty dirt. Oh yeah, 97 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: it's generally it's kind of a breakdown in planning because like, 98 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 1: clearly you did not plan out the best paved route 99 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: for for foot traffic. Clearly foot traffic wants to go 100 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: this way. But it's kind of beautiful watching those things 101 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: emerge because nobody planned it that way. Just as you're saying, 102 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: even the students didn't plan it that way. Just over time, 103 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: enough people make the same decision about where to go 104 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: and how to get there, that these natural pathways emerge 105 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: until someone throws up a hedge or something. So eventually 106 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 1: you have a few species of hominids that come along, 107 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: and they distinguished themselves in intelligence, and they start forging 108 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: their own trails, often incorporating animal trails whenever it makes 109 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: sense as well. So, yeah, if the trail all of 110 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,919 Speaker 1: the megafauna uh is there, they may use it, but 111 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: they may also uh beat down their own paths as well. 112 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: So you know, they would have navigated by doing this, 113 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: they would have navigated difficult drain bodies of water. And 114 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: prior to the coming of Europeans to to the America's 115 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: the native people's here had they had their own complex 116 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 1: system of foot trails by which they could travel the land. 117 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,239 Speaker 1: In his book, uh Lay points out the Nachez Trace 118 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,919 Speaker 1: four dred forty mile or seven hundred kilometer trail that 119 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: goes from Nachez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, and it was 120 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,719 Speaker 1: used by native peoples for centuries and it was said 121 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: to have, you know, been originally created by buffalo heading 122 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: north to Salt Licks in the area of what is 123 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: now Nashville, Tennessee. Yeah, and this highlights something you might 124 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,600 Speaker 1: not immediately think about with roads, because roads not only 125 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: allow you to move more easily by providing a clear 126 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: path on the surface c C to walk on, they 127 00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: also help you know where you're going. And this could 128 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: even be the case for animals. Right many animals have 129 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: been built navigation capabilities that others don't. As a large 130 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: bipedal primate, just try to find your way around in 131 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: the world without a compass or a map or a road, 132 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: you're probably gonna have kind of a hard time of it. 133 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: And you can also consider the fact that even if 134 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: you're not following a familiar road to get somewhere specific, 135 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: you can follow any road to eventually get somewhere significant. 136 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: Like people don't usually build roads to nowhere, and that 137 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: applies to animals as well. Now in considering lands that 138 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: have known the influence of humans for far longer than 139 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: the America's, it has also been theorized that some of 140 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: the the older winding roads in places like England have 141 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 1: their roots in wild animal pathways leading to fords and 142 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: watering holes. And of course, in the case of many 143 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: of these ancient trails. Uh, they might remain somewhat fluid 144 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 1: for a number of reasons, because you have shifting waterways. 145 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: Trees are gonna fall, beavers are going to do their things, 146 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: storms are gonna uh add chaos as the scenario, So 147 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: any number of things might occur that that that alter 148 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: the shape of the path. And of course additional changes 149 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: would come as humans uh continue to develop their their 150 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: their their primitive technologies. Right, they require more paths for 151 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: their own meager footfalls. The cultivation of crops and animal 152 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: husband husbandry would have increasingly created a world where certain 153 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: areas had to remain off limits to animals, particularly to 154 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: domesticated animals and other zones or you know, roads would 155 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: need to easily and safely convey these creatures from one 156 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: place to another. All right, we're gonna take a quick break. 157 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 1: When we come back, we're going to continue along the road. 158 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: All right, we're back now. Obviously, there is no single 159 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: inventor of roads, so we can't point to uh dr 160 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: Rogilus who came up with roads ten thousand years ago. 161 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: Didn't happen, Sir Walter Rhodes, Uh, No, you know, we've 162 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: already discussed the foot paths of early humans likely made 163 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: use of animal paths to some degree. But then what 164 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: happens again when humans transition out of their mere hunter 165 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: gatherer lifestyle. What happens in the wake of the agricultural revolution, 166 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: resulting in such innovations as domesticated animals and then eventually 167 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: wheel and sledge constructions for dragging surplus crops, firewood, and 168 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: other necessities around. Now, once you introduced the idea of 169 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: wheeled vehicles, things changed significantly, And it's worth noting as 170 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,680 Speaker 1: an aside that the strange and fascinating fact that it 171 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: appears the wheel was not invented for transportation until some 172 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 1: time around the fourth millennium b C, like or something, 173 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: which at first first exposure to this fact seems shockingly late. Right, 174 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 1: Grain agriculture has probably existed since around nine to ten 175 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: thousand BC, which means that roughly half the time humans 176 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: have been farming, nobody had wheeled vehicles to move sacks 177 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: of grain or whatever around. So, of course, maybe we 178 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,839 Speaker 1: shouldn't be surprised, given that wheels are a deeply unnatural invention, right, 179 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 1: So many human inventions have some kind of analogy and nature. 180 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: While there are animals that roll their bodies or parts 181 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: of their bodies in various ways. Maybe the closest is 182 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:18,959 Speaker 1: the bacterial flagella, which nobody could have seen the microscope 183 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:22,000 Speaker 1: to see. See some of the more wheel like creatures 184 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: in the Animal Kingdom. But even that's not really a wheel. 185 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: There's just nothing in nature that operates on a wheel 186 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: and axle, and we should definitely revisit the invention of 187 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: the wheel future. That's a no brainer. We have to 188 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: come back to that. But so, yeah, think about this, 189 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: just thousands of years of agriculture and road in some 190 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 1: way road based transport, at least some primitive forms of 191 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: roads without wheeled vehicles on them. Yeah. Now, on the 192 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,319 Speaker 1: subject of domesticated herd, you might well require a dependable 193 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: road to connect winter and summer grazing lands, and indeed 194 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: we see examples of this in the Cannadas realists in Spain. 195 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: These are drovers roads covering hundred and twenty five thousand kilometers. 196 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: Another example of the the Welsh Roads of England that 197 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: linked scott At Scotland and Wales to London markets. Again 198 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: just moving domesticated animals from one place to another. Yeah, 199 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: roads are necessary for the development of trade and in 200 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,439 Speaker 1: many ways you could say for the development of culture. 201 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: I mean, almost everything that we think of in culture 202 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: comes ultimately from the connections of people's to each other, 203 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,319 Speaker 1: you know, the meeting of different minds across distance, and 204 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: that's all enabled by roads in trade. Yeah. And even 205 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 1: though a lot of these roads change over time, obviously, 206 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: and and you don't find a lot of paths that 207 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: remain in use for just extended periods of time, but 208 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: you do see these wonderful examples of some of these pathways, 209 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: particularly in North America and Britain, where just they have 210 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: centuries of wear and tear and they've essentially become a 211 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 1: little trenches just from all the of the foot traffic. 212 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 1: And that is is pretty amazing. Yeah. Though the Roman 213 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:00,839 Speaker 1: roads were dug out to be in with I believe 214 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: or at least some of them were, right, like they 215 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 1: would dig down a trench in a way to become 216 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: the road. Oh yeah, And that's where we're getting in 217 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: really into a serious construction of roads. And ultimately, that's 218 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: what we need to talk about at this point, is 219 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,840 Speaker 1: when when you start constructing a road, it's not merely well, 220 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: we sure did move those goats from from here to 221 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,079 Speaker 1: there enough times that there's the best way to do that. 222 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,599 Speaker 1: You know what, what happens when we get into the 223 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:30,319 Speaker 1: idea of of planning a road, manufacturing and reinforcing it, 224 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: caring and maintaining it. When we started asking that question, well, 225 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: Lay says that quote, uh, the creation of major lowland 226 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: ways required a degree of engineering skill and organization that 227 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: began to develop around four thousand BC. It points out 228 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: that the oldest British quote planned and engineered pathways date 229 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: back to Glastonbury, UK thirty three thousand b C. And uh, 230 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: good local roads ultimately helped the Britains defeat the Roman 231 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: legions in fifty five b C. And now. Of course, 232 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: on the other hand, extensive, high quality roads are a 233 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: major factor in the military success of the Roman Republic 234 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: and then the Roman Empire right or really any any 235 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: particular empire. I think back to episodes of of stuff 236 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: double your mind that you and I did on the 237 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: Inca and the important of the the Inca road system, 238 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: which also incorporated uh, tremendously impressive rope bridges, and how 239 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: that contributed to the success of the Inca. Yeah, great 240 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,240 Speaker 1: part of the power of the Inca Empire lay in 241 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: its transportation and communication infrastructure. Yeah, and if you want 242 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: to quickly convey your troops from one point in an 243 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: empire or kingdom to another, especially across difficult terrain, in 244 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:47,680 Speaker 1: order to defend or expand a kingdom, um, you're going 245 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: to need good roads. And indeed we see this reflected 246 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: even in recent history, say the United States Interstate system 247 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 1: in the early twentieth century, it was considered necessary for 248 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 1: national defense. Yeah, definitely, and their more stable reasons that 249 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: roads are necessary for for military purposes. I mean, one, 250 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:07,079 Speaker 1: of course, is to get your armies to places. That's 251 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,199 Speaker 1: the obvious one. But the other one is the thing 252 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: that a lot of times people you know, when they're 253 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 1: when you're playing your historical military games, like that, would 254 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,319 Speaker 1: Julius Caesar's army to feed the Mongols or something like that? 255 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: You know, you're you're doing all that stuff. People like 256 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: to think about commanders and weapons and fighting styles and 257 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: all that, but they don't think enough about the real 258 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: thing that makes or breaks a war campaign, which is 259 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: supply lines, the ultimate gremlin of military history. The army 260 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: marches on its belly, right, Yeah, and undersupplied army can't 261 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: fight at full strength, and so the supply lines, how 262 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 1: you get food and other major supplies to your troops, 263 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: how you bring reinforcements to the front. I guess that 264 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: all falls under the military category of logistics. But that's 265 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,760 Speaker 1: a huge part of the success of a military campaign. 266 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: Now it's easy for us to get caught up in 267 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: the you know, these sort of country roads. We've been 268 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: talking a lot about a lot of cross country paths 269 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: and roads. But as as Life points out in his book, Um, 270 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: you know, going back to two ancient times, uh, you 271 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: see roads as a necessity of city planning. As cities 272 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 1: become a thing for for human beings, it becomes necessary 273 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 1: to think about how people were moving around in them, 274 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:17,240 Speaker 1: what sort of of of streets or roads are present. 275 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: And you see this in the work of the ancient 276 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 1: Egyptians and various Middle and Near Eastern civilizations. Uh. The 277 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: use of roads and sinning city plannings was discussed in 278 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 1: the writings of, for instance, Greek city planner Hippodamus in 279 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: Uh in later reference in the works of Aristotle and others, 280 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 1: and sometimes city plans were based more on engineering, and 281 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,920 Speaker 1: other times there was a there was some element of mysticism, 282 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: as well, which seems seems like it would be highly 283 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: susceptible to mysticism the construction of roads, because it is 284 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 1: this kind of complex like system of on language that 285 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 1: you're laying out across the world. Roads appear in all 286 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: kinds of myths and legends and religiously significance to worries. 287 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: The Road to Damascus, the Road to m s the row, 288 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 1: little red riding hood on the road to her grandmother's house. Yeah. 289 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: How many um horror stories throughout history are essentially stories 290 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: about what happens when you go off of the path 291 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: or the road, right right, Yeah, Mirkwood in the Hobbit, Yeah, 292 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: if they stick to the road, gentlemen, and you're not 293 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: gonna encounter problems, don't go chasing elf lights into the dark. Now. 294 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:28,160 Speaker 1: Of course, we'd be remiss if we did mention one 295 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: of the great roads, the Silk Road, an example of 296 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 1: roads running into other roads to become more or less 297 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: a single pathway dating back to roughly three kind of 298 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: connecting various caravan routes across Eurasia. One of the all 299 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 1: time grades. D Yeah, top top top five, top three. 300 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: To be sure, all right, we're gonna take a quick break, 301 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: but we will be right back. All right, We're back, okay. Now. 302 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: One thing that certainly changes about road it's over time 303 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 1: is that the original roads were just beaten down areas 304 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 1: of earth, right and where the there where the cattle 305 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: or the large bovids or whatever would push through. They 306 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: trample down the ground and make it flat, and they 307 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: push the vegetation aside, so there'd be a clear pathway 308 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: going somewhere. But over time roads took on a more 309 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:21,680 Speaker 1: technological character. People were looking for better ways to make 310 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: more reliable roads. Because you got a road like that 311 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: that's maybe just some trampled down cleared earth. Maybe let's 312 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 1: say you have some heavy rains. What you tend to 313 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: find is that the road like that gets a little 314 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 1: bit washed out in the roads. Yeah, I mean in 315 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 1: in in our own neighborhoods here in Atlanta, we we 316 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: have at least a few examples of this where we 317 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: have an unofficial pathway and then what happens when it 318 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 1: becomes a muddy wreck. And then you see some very 319 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 1: amateur essentially road building where people are like, well I'll 320 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: just dump a bunch of rocks in here, or I 321 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,480 Speaker 1: have some tire garbage that will really help things out. Yes, 322 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: I will fix the path with a whole bunch of 323 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: cans or something. Yeah. And it essentially this is kind 324 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 1: of what we see in some of the the early 325 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: corduroy roads or log roads that are that are created 326 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 1: to deal with muddy terrain. Oh they're better than cans, 327 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:14,680 Speaker 1: I guess. But but essentially we're talking about placing logs 328 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:17,679 Speaker 1: perpendicular to the direction of the road. And examples of 329 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,400 Speaker 1: this sort sort of road date back at least four 330 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 1: thousand years. Uh. There's the so called post track in 331 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,719 Speaker 1: Somerset levels, England, for instance. Uh. And it makes sense, right, Like, 332 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: what what do you do if your your vehicle is 333 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: stuck in the mud, right, just grinding, grinding the mud 334 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,480 Speaker 1: until you're buried. You get you get some sticks or law, 335 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:38,359 Speaker 1: you know whatever, pieces of wood and you put them 336 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:40,720 Speaker 1: under the tire. You want something to pull up on 337 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,760 Speaker 1: some traction. Yeah, you want to put something under the 338 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: tire that will stay where it is when you're driving. Yeah. 339 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: So that is essentially what say, you know the post 340 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: track is lay mentions another one. He says the sweet 341 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: track uses longitudinal log to support oblique crossed pegs which 342 00:18:56,320 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: form a v uh every meter or so planks between 343 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:03,919 Speaker 1: these create a walking path. And this is the Sweet 344 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: Path from near Glastonbury, which dates back to uh. Three 345 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: thousand BC. Now, Robert, when did people first come up 346 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: with the idea of the old the old popper the 347 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 1: gravel road? Ah, you know, I was. I was thinking 348 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: about this, and I was reading around in lays book 349 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 1: and looking at a couple other sources on this, and um, yeah, 350 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:26,200 Speaker 1: it's one of these things that that feels like it 351 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,240 Speaker 1: should be pretty archaic, because again we come back to 352 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,160 Speaker 1: that idea, what do you do when the path gets muddy? Well, 353 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:33,880 Speaker 1: one solution is get some rocks and throw them on there, right, 354 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,200 Speaker 1: And that that clearly seems to have been something that 355 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: would have been utilized by by our our ancient ancestors. 356 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: But but when you start really thinking about gravel roads, 357 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: it gets pretty interesting. We can really take the technology 358 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: and the labor involved. For granted. For example, was recently 359 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: in Costa Rica and we went up to Monteverde in 360 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: the cloud forests and to get to Mount a Verde, Uh, 361 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: you have to take this this winding road, and more 362 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: and more of it is paved now, but there's still 363 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:08,880 Speaker 1: a stretch that is gravel and and these are these 364 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 1: are good gravel roads. I don't want to cast any 365 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: unnecessary shade on the roads of Costa Rica because uh 366 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: uh you know, we never felt in danger or anything. 367 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:23,680 Speaker 1: You know, these are these are nice gravel roads. Uh, 368 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: I mean, hey, I've been on some scary gravel roads 369 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: in Georgia. Oh yeah, yeah, I mean, and if I'm 370 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,080 Speaker 1: being honest, like gravel roads in general like tend to 371 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,440 Speaker 1: wig me out, but probably unnecessarily so. But yeah, I 372 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: think think about about what essentially a gravel road is. 373 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: Instead of lining the road with wood, you cover it 374 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: with dirter rocks or gravel, uh, taken from well, in 375 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:47,359 Speaker 1: today's cases, some sort of quarried area, right, but more 376 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 1: likely in older examples you'll be talking about rocks from 377 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:53,280 Speaker 1: a creek bed. The problem, of course, is that gravel 378 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 1: can be washed away and then you have you have 379 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: this huge task of hauling it all the gravel back 380 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: up and then distributing it where it needs to go. 381 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,200 Speaker 1: And this can be quite intensive. I mean, just look 382 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: at modern cases. If you see any kind of maintenance 383 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 1: going on, or you know, if you happen to get 384 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: to see the creation of a gravel road, you're going 385 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: to see the hauling and distribution via you know, massive 386 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: pieces of equipment, dump trucks and what have you. Uh. 387 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: And perhaps this is a major reason you tend to 388 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: see more widespread use of gravel roads in say, early 389 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 1: twentieth century US and twentieth century developing areas and nations 390 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 1: as well, because it simply becomes cheaper to transport and 391 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: dump all the necessary gravel, which is of course again 392 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:37,239 Speaker 1: now mind and transported on dependable roadways rather than just 393 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:41,679 Speaker 1: laboriously transported from stream beds to uh, you know, roadways 394 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 1: that might be questionable in their own right. The age 395 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: of the dump truck made it possible. Yeah, so think 396 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: about that the next time you're on a gravel road. 397 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: Realized that this is perhaps more of a modern conveyance 398 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: than you're giving giving a credit for. Now. Of course, 399 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: when we talk about like the best, the most modern 400 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: examples of a road, you're gonna think of paved roads, right, 401 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: These are the gold standard. I thought you were gonna 402 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,840 Speaker 1: say a rainbow road. No, but I guess a rainbow 403 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,640 Speaker 1: road would probably be paved as well, because the gravel 404 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,679 Speaker 1: rainbow road would just become distorted from all the traffic 405 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 1: is that would be really difficult to maintain. And yet 406 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: here's the thing. As modern as these fields, even though 407 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,239 Speaker 1: this feels like the height of modernity, these actually go 408 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: back quite a long ways in human history as well. 409 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 1: So you have stone paved roads that date back to, 410 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: for instance, the Middle Eastern city of er Uh circa 411 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 1: UH four thousand b C. You have brick paved roads 412 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:39,719 Speaker 1: in India that date back to three thousand BC, and 413 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: we also see them in Malta from around two thousand 414 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:47,399 Speaker 1: to b C. Basically, as humans developed and improved the 415 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,439 Speaker 1: ability to cut stones and mix mortar, they crafted not 416 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:54,199 Speaker 1: only walls but roads, because ultimately, what is what is 417 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: a road but a kind of wall that is laid 418 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:00,399 Speaker 1: on the ground. Right, the technology is not all that different, okay, 419 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: But then there was also, i mean, the development of 420 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: um what would you call it, the supporting infrastructure around 421 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: the road. If you look at, say some of the 422 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:12,160 Speaker 1: stone paved Roman roads, you'll see that they not only 423 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 1: had this paved surface, but they had protective elements like 424 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: they had like retaining walls or ditches, you know, to 425 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:21,119 Speaker 1: get the right kind of drainage or protection from the 426 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 1: road against the elements. Oh yeah, drainage. Drainage is key 427 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: and and waterproofing. And this leads us to the bitumen roads, 428 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: which are pretty pretty interesting page from the history of 429 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: road technology. First, just a reminder, and what bitchuman is? 430 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:35,879 Speaker 1: It's the word I can never remember how to pronounce 431 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 1: the American way. I think we say it the British way, 432 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: which is bitumen. Yeah, it's it's it's a mouthful, but 433 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:45,199 Speaker 1: it's It's also the arguably the world's first petroleum product. 434 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: It's a sticky, black viscus substance and uh. And when 435 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,640 Speaker 1: it's combined with mixed with sand and stone, you get 436 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: essentially asphalt. But it was highly prized in the ancient 437 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: world and for the longest it was primarily a Mesopotamian monopoly, 438 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 1: and it's alid use in various endeavors things everything from 439 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,639 Speaker 1: art and cosmetics to just cocking your boat. Uh. Didn't 440 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: we talk about it on an episode of Stuff to 441 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: Fill Your Mind? Is a potential constituent of Greek fire. 442 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: We did, yes, And it also came up in an 443 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,399 Speaker 1: older episode on mummies. Actually the word the word mummy 444 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: is linked to the word bitumen. Uh. And then of course, 445 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,680 Speaker 1: physicians in the in the region eventually used it to 446 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 1: treat a number of ailments, but by three thousand b 447 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,399 Speaker 1: c e. It was used in mortar, among other things, 448 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:35,399 Speaker 1: and by it was used in waterproofing, and it was 449 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: later used in roads along with burnt bricks. And around 450 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: six fifteen BC, King Nebuchadnezzar and his father Nabopolassar mentioned 451 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: it's mentioned its use in streets paved for the procession 452 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,199 Speaker 1: of the great god Marduke. Oh, nothing less for the 453 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,880 Speaker 1: feet of Marduk. Yeah. But then this brings us back 454 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:56,200 Speaker 1: to the Roman roads, which we've already been touching on, 455 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,160 Speaker 1: because though the Roman roads are generally considered the peak 456 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 1: of row making in the ancient world, the one shouldn't 457 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,639 Speaker 1: dismiss the roadmaking prowess of say the Persians and the 458 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: Chinese before them. But still this was an empire like 459 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: famous for their roads. We have the saying all roads 460 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: lead to Rome for a reason now is lay points out. 461 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 1: Rome was, of course an empire, and empires have a 462 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 1: way of taking certain things, either culturally or technologically, from 463 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,160 Speaker 1: from others, either those who have come before or those 464 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: who are brought into the empire. Right, so they made 465 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: use of Greek lime cement and masonry. Uh, it trust 466 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:38,120 Speaker 1: can cement, uh, Carthaginian pavement and Egyptian surveying. Uh. They 467 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: famously utilized lime based concrete as early as five hundred 468 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: nine b C. And what's crazy is that after the 469 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: Roman Empire collapsed around four hundred C, concrete construction basically 470 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: disappeared from Europe and it didn't pop up again until 471 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:58,399 Speaker 1: roughly seventeen fifty four. And that's when a gentleman by 472 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:02,880 Speaker 1: the name of William Smeaton, founder of civil engineering in England, 473 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: developed a mortar of limestone and clay that hardened underwater. 474 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 1: All right, so we've we've kind of breezed through the 475 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: history of roads here. Again. Leigh has a whole book 476 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: on this and it's a great read. So I recommend 477 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: anyone check that out if you want to deep or dive. 478 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: But this brings us to the legacy of roads. It's 479 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:25,639 Speaker 1: really difficult to think about our world without roads in 480 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: them because roads just criss cross everything they can. They 481 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,920 Speaker 1: can truly be seen from space. Even a few Roman 482 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: roads and especially some desert highways, really stand out against 483 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 1: the surrounding environment. Yeah. Well, I mean It's interesting how 484 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: often um roads and pathways have remained the same for 485 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:46,959 Speaker 1: so long, or remained close to the same. It's one 486 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 1: of the bridges between the technological civil infrastructure of the 487 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 1: ancient world in the modern world. Uh. The way, in 488 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:55,879 Speaker 1: Europe you still find so many of the Roman roads 489 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:57,960 Speaker 1: basically in use. And of course one of the things 490 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,119 Speaker 1: about roads remaining in use is that you here have 491 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: to build new roads over the old roads, or you 492 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: have to just maintain the roads. You have essentially continuously 493 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: rebuilding them piece by piece, and kind of a ship 494 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:13,560 Speaker 1: of theseus uh manner, I suppose, uh And and along 495 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: these lines, um Scott Benjamin who does some some research 496 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:19,639 Speaker 1: for this show. He u. He pointed us in the 497 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: direction of a Midwest blog post titled how much does 498 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:24,879 Speaker 1: it cost to build a mile of road? With some 499 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: interesting stats in it. Yeah, this is something I've never 500 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 1: really considered before because we see road maintenance going on 501 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 1: all the time, and generally our main reaction is, oh, 502 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,919 Speaker 1: this is annoying, this is slowing me down. So just 503 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:38,520 Speaker 1: consider these stats. Uh, these these are these are these 504 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: regard building the road, forging a new road. Okay, to 505 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 1: build a new two lane undivided road in a rural 506 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 1: area cost between two and three million dollars per mile, 507 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 1: and in urban areas that's going to go up to 508 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 1: three and five million, because you're gonna have to deal 509 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:55,119 Speaker 1: with with because of all the stuff you're gonna have 510 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: to go around, all the infrastructure you're gonna have to 511 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,359 Speaker 1: deal with, et cetera four lane highway, you're talking about 512 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: between four and six million in rural areas and in 513 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,800 Speaker 1: suburban areas between eight and ten million again per mile. 514 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,480 Speaker 1: The US currently has somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty 515 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 1: one million lane miles, and to to mill and resurface 516 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: a four lane road it costs an average of one 517 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: point twenty five million dollars per mile. And if you're 518 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 1: looking to do a four to six lane expansion on 519 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: top of that four million dollars. Sounds like we need 520 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:30,840 Speaker 1: to get into the road business. Well, in a way, 521 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:32,800 Speaker 1: it's a great, great business to be in, I guess 522 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:35,920 Speaker 1: because the roads. The roads are everywhere. The roads are 523 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: even the best roads are continually falling apart because they're 524 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: weathered by all of these forces we've discussed, plus the 525 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 1: intense traffic traveling atop it we're going to keep needing them, Yeah, 526 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: and we also keep coming up with new twists on 527 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:52,560 Speaker 1: the concept. Now, one of my favorite concepts of regarding 528 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:56,280 Speaker 1: the future of roads is UH is certainly a lofty one, 529 00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 1: but one that is attractive in many ways. UH. And 530 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,200 Speaker 1: it is the idea of an underground automated highway or 531 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: you a h like a subway. Essentially, it's like, the 532 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:10,520 Speaker 1: idea is, we've we've kind of corrupted the world. We've 533 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: divided up this the natural world with all of these roads, 534 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: and anytime animals try and cross it, they die, and 535 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 1: it's breaking up for us, et cetera. But what if 536 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,000 Speaker 1: we were able to put all of those roads underground 537 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: or in some cases, you know, build some sort of 538 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:26,920 Speaker 1: green structure over it, and the animals could crawl over that, 539 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: the vegetation could grow a top of it, and they 540 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: would have all they would be all of these uh 541 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,920 Speaker 1: environmental benefits as well. What if we had this kind 542 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 1: of world and then on top of that that, you know, 543 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: the cars are going to drive themselves as well. So 544 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: imagine like those wildlife bridges, but it's not a bridge, 545 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 1: it covers the entire road exactly. Yeah. Just what if 546 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,080 Speaker 1: we just had nothing but wildlife bridges, and it just 547 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: kind of concept. And there have been some lovely, uh 548 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,160 Speaker 1: you know, illustrations depicting what this kind of world would 549 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: look like and and that they do kind of line 550 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: up with a lot of these, you know, very ambitious 551 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: and optimistic visions for what the future of say, you know, 552 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: certainly like Middle America I guess would look like. I mean, 553 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 1: you could also certainly put the roads underneath the cities, 554 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: like everything becomes the subway in an urban environment. Um, 555 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 1: I don't know. I haven't looked recently to see what 556 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: even the most optimistic time frame is for this sort 557 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 1: of thing, but it's it's a lovely technological dream if 558 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,400 Speaker 1: nothing else. Oh yeah, I mean to imagine cities where 559 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: all of the surface spaces for pedestrians or is green space. Yeah, like, 560 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: it's not even for pedestrian humans, it's for pedestrian deer 561 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:39,719 Speaker 1: and and mega fun let's bring them back to and 562 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:44,240 Speaker 1: released crocodiles. No, seriously, I do like that, but until 563 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 1: we get to that point, we are stuck with the 564 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:50,720 Speaker 1: roads we have, which are pretty impressive technological feats. Yeah. 565 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: All right, So that's it for this week's episode. Of Invention. 566 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 1: If you want to learn more about the show and 567 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:58,200 Speaker 1: check out other episodes, head on over to our website 568 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: invention pod dot m. Big thanks to Scott Benjamin for 569 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:06,320 Speaker 1: research assistance with this episode, thanks to our audio producer 570 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: Torii Harrison. If you would like to get in touch 571 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: with us directly with feedback on this episode or any other, 572 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,200 Speaker 1: to suggest a topic for the future, or just to 573 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:16,200 Speaker 1: say hi, let us know how you found out about 574 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: the show where you listen from all that kind of stuff, 575 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:40,960 Speaker 1: you can email us at contact at invention pod dot com.