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The Roman Roads Research Association was formed to advance knowledge of the Roman road network and promote the study of Roman roads and Roman heritage throughout the British Isles. Our work is inspired by Ivan D. Margary whose “Roman Roads in Britain ” (1955) remains the most comprehensive gazetteer ever compiled.  Now in our fifth year, we are about to launch our Journal, Itinera - scroll down to find out more.

We continue Margary’s work by researching Roman roads using modern technology such as LiDAR, which uses lasers fired from an aircraft to create an incredibly accurate model of the earth’s surface beneath any vegetation, revealing surviving archaeology otherwise not visible. The example below is a Roman road in Cornwall, where until recently there was no firm evidence of any Roman roads at all. This was spotted in 2018 but at least one other road has recently been identified in Cornwall during lockdown thanks to volunteers with the Understanding Landscapes project led by Dr. Chris Smart (University of Exeter).

Introducing R.R.R.A.

Call for Papers for Itinera, RRRA’s new Journal

The homepage image is refreshed on a frequent basis. We would  be pleased to consider contributions from members and non-members alike for use on this page, and for use in the gazetteer as it develops. As the Gazetteer develops, we will need a huge number of good quality images from all over the country

The Roman Roads Research Association is launching its own peer reviewed journal, Itinera, devoted to publishing research, fieldwork, and new discoveries that relate to Roman roads or Roman infrastructure more broadly. We are welcoming submissions of papers for Vol.1, which will be published in Spring 2021.

We welcome papers which contribute to a better understanding of the road network and its place within the wider context of Roman studies, whether in the UK or internationally. This is likely to include reports of digs, new discoveries from lidar and aerial photography, designation of 'new' routes through an expanded Margary system, and a range of peer-reviewed scholarly articles exploring the wider context of roads as related to military and civilian activity, forts, planning, surveying and all aspects of Roman life.

Additionally, in a similar fashion to Britannia, we will have a section Roman Roads in 2020, intended to provide an overview of all archaeological work involving Roman roads in the previous year. Full details, including Notes for Contibutors, can be found here.

The closing date for final submissions is 15th November 2020; however if you are considering submitting material for Itinera, please contact the Editor using the button below.

10 JUNE 2020

ITINERA - THE NEW RRRA JOURNAL

We are proud to announce that The RRRA will be publishing our own Journal, Itinera, the first volume to be published in Spring 2021. Click here to find out more.

13 AUGUST 2019

RRRA EXCAVATION ON DERE STREET

From September 21st to October 6th, we will be excavating on Dere Street near Aldborough, N. Yorkshire

2 NOVEMBER 2018

ROMAN ROADS IN CHESHIRE

Roman Roads in Cheshire, by David Ratledge and Neil Buckley have now been added to this website. They will be incorporated into our standard gazetteer format during late 2018 / early 2019

19 MARCH 2018

LAUNCHING OUR NEW WEBSITE

Our new website, the Roads of Roman Britain, is now live! The site features the first phase of our comprehensive gazetteer of Roman roads in Britain, and includes every Roman road in Yorkshire or leading into Yorkshire  (53 in total). It also features new interpretations of the British sections of the Antonine Itinerary and the Notitia Dignitatum.

      

26 DECEMBER 2017

DAVID RATLEDGE’S CUMBRIA PAGES NOW ONLINE

David Ratledge, best known for his work over many years on Roman roads in Lancashire and for his Lancashire web pages on this site, has now completed three years of work reviewing Roman roads in Cumbria.

David’s work will be incorporated into our standard gazetteer format in 2018, but rather than wait we thought it important to make the results of his invaluable work accessible straight away. Access through The Roads of Roman Britain tab on the main menu, or just click the hyperlink above.

SEPTEMBER 2017

THE ROMAN ROAD AT HOLTYE, EAST SUSSEX

In the 1930s, Ivan D. Margary excavated a 250 yard long length of RR14, near Holtye in East Sussex, and exposed a short length of road (about 40 yards) which was fenced off so that it could be viewed by the public. Margary then gave the site, now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, to the Sussex Archaeological Society. The road itself is a valuable example of the Roman use of local materials in road construction, in this case iron slag from nearby Roman iron workings in the Weald.  

RRRA and the Sussex Archaeological Society are currently working together to evaluate how the road’s survival may be guaranteed in perpetuity, and to assess how this nationally  important site may be best presented to the public. .

Lidar image of a recently discovered Roman road in Cornwall, showing the characteristic raised mound known as an agger, the quarry pits which provided road material, and braiding - eroded hollows worn by traffic running alongside the Roman road after lack of repair made part of it unusable.