Jere's Ars Magica Saga: Travel

Byzantine Travel

Roads

Roman needs to reach the eastern frontier and especially the foundation of Constantinople shaped travel and communication in the Byzantine Empire. For more than a millennium, Constantinople was the center of land and sea routes between the eastern and western Mediterranean and between the Aegean and the Black Seas. In the Middle Ages, it dominates the road between Europe and the lands of Islam and is the main port for relations with Russia.

The main artery of the empire is the great military highway from the Balkans to Syria, best known as the route of the crusaders. It enters Byzantine territory at Singidunum (Belgrade) and led from there to Naissus (Nish), then through steep passes and forests to Serdica (Sofia), to pass the whole breadth of Bulgaria in easy stages through Philppoplis to Adrianople, then across the rolling country of Thrace to Constantinople. The journey takes about a month. The route from the capital eastward crosses the Bosporus and continues through Nicomedia to Nicae, but smaller parties usually avoid the detour by crossing the Propontis to Pylae and continuing by road to Nicae. East of that city, the highway branches to avoid the steppe around the salt lake in the center of the Anatolian plateau. The southern branch, favored by Emperors and First Crusade alike, led through Dorlaeum, Amorium, Iconium(the later Seljuk capital Konya), and Tyana to the Cilician Gates, the narrow gorge which leads to the Cilician plain and Antioch. Alternatively, to reach the east, the highway branches at Iconium or Tyana for Caesarea (Kayseri) and leads thence through the Anti-Taurus to Marash or Melitene, or northeast to Sebaste, Satala and Armenia. The whole route is provided with stations where the emperor could stop and be met by the various thematic armies, however, as the empire loses land these stations become ruins, or controlled by the Turks. The northern branch leads east from Nicae to Ancyra then southeast to Colnia and Tyana.

Numerous other routes connect the various parts of the empire and join it with the surrounding lands. For traffic coming from Italy, the main port is Dyrrachium (Durazzo), from which numerous roads gave access to the interior. The most important is the ancient Via Egnatia, which passes through Ochrid to Thessaloniki, then along the north coast of the Aegean to Constantinople. From Durazzo, major routes also led into the Balkans, to Skopje and Belgrade, and south into Greece. The strategic location of Thessaloniki ensures its predominance as the main commercial center of the western Balkans and Greece. It stands at the junction of the Via Egnatia and the easy route which connected Central Europe through the valleys of the Morava and Vardar with Greece and continues south as the only practicable highway to Athens and the Peloponnesus. In the eastern Balkans (now the independent kingdom of Bulgaria), a major highway follows the course of the Danube from Belgrade to the sea, with routes running south from it through several passes to Sofia, to Philppopolis, and to a major road junction around Develtus and Anchialos; from there, good routes lead north to Russia, south along the coast of Constantinople and west into the interior. By all these routes, communication between the Balkans and the capital was ensured. Most roads converge on Constantinople, with some leading to Thessaloniki, the second city of the empire.

The main routes of ancient Asia Minor had led to such great Aegean cities as Ephesus and Miletus, but the foundation of Constantinople redirected most of the imperial, military and long-distance traffic. The ancient routes of western Anatolia remain in use, as this still proves the richest part of the empire. From the capital, this area is reached directly from Cyzicus or Pegae on the Propontis, or by a long detour through Nicae and Lopadium. These routes converged north of Achyraous, from which roads led to Adramyttium and the Aegean coast (followed by the Second Crusade) or southward to Magnesia or Philadelphia (the route of the Third Crusade). The main highway of Roman Asia Minor led from Ephesus up the Meander Valley to Laodicea, Apamea and Philomelium to join the southern branch of the military highway; parts of this route was followed by the Second and Third Crusades. On the Anatolian plateau, the main centers of communication are Doryaleum, Amorium, Ancyra and Caesarea, all now in the hands of the Turks. In the north the great center is Trebizond, which holds special prominence as the terminus of the caravan route from Persia.

Sea Routes

The rough configuration of the Byzantine lands, with their many mountains, means that as much traffic as possible goes by sea, usually sailing in sight of land. Here, too, most routes converged on Constantinople. The major port in the Western Balkans is Durazzo, whence vessels follow the coast and islands around the Peloponnesus to Monembasia. From there, those proceeding directly to the east steer by the Aegean islands to Chios or Samos or make for Crete and Rhodes. Small vessels bound for Constantinople avoid the long and dangerous circuit of the Peloponnesus by passing through the Gulf of Corinth and being hauled across the Isthmus. They then sail north Thessaloniki or directly by the islands to the capital. These sea-lanes are essential to the Venetians, who will later build many castles along them. Traffic to Constantinople has to pass the strong point of Abydus on the Hellespont, where all stop and pay custom dues. Ships sailing north to Bulgaria and Russia follow the western coast of the Black Sea or cut across to Cherson. Trebizond attracts much of the trade of that region, with sea routes leading from it along the southern shore to Constantinople or Georgia, or across to Cherson or to the mouth of the Danube.

Bridges

The Byzantines inherited the technique of bridge construction from the Romans. They erected bridges of stone, brick and/or timber set in concrete; the arches rested on piers. The approach to bridges is sometimes fortified with towers. A special tax called gephyrosis was imposed in the eleventh century for the maintenance and repair of bridges.

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Last modified: Thurs Dec 10, 1998