ROMAN URBAN TOPOGRAPHY in Britain and the western Empire

Introduction
Fig 2 Cosa: the colony was founded in 280 BC on the summit of a rocky promontory. The Capitolium (cf Fig39) was built on the
highest point, the forum in a slight valley (After Brown 1980)
tively flat and low-lying, and as the empire expanded where there are hardly any natural features to influence
beyond the Mediterranean, much greater emphasis was the planning of the town and the siting of individual
put on long-distance communication by road and river. buildings. A grid based on blocks, rather than strips,
The main roads were usually built with quite gentle where both axes were equally important, became the
gradients and the towns they linked were, in turn, laid out norm, and improvements in the techniques of civil
on level ground, often at a major river crossing. In Britain, engineering, particularly in vault construction, allowed
Verulamium and the civitas capitals all lie on valley slopes local topographical obstacles to be overcome. This can be
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