Roads in ancient Rome were very important because people liked to travel between towns within the empire to trade goods. Romans followed specific steps when building roads through their empire. First, they had to decide where to put the road. Men measured from one high point to another and made the roads as straight as they could. Next, builders dug up the ground and started laying down big stones that would make up the first layer of the road. Then they put in a layer of gravel to level off any bumps made by the big stones. Then they laid a layer of sand and cement. The last layer they put on was big, flat stones that fit tightly together and were packed down hard. This completed the road!

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