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The oldest road signals in the world: when they are born, what they are and where they are found

The invention of the road signs It is something that, to date, each of us associates with modern times. But, in reality, to the need to codify the rules of road traffic through the use of symbols It is something that dates back to very ancient times. Just think that already theRoman Empire made extensive use of the milestoneswhile in the 17th century real plates were used, as evidenced by the oldest in the world preserved in Lisbon, in Portugal. So here are the oldest road signs and where they are.

Roman milestones

What was the territory of the Roman Empire is scattered, far and wide, with the so -called milestones. But what is it about? These are not only more than a stone stone stone, placed on the roadside, used to mark the distances along the roads of the empire. The material with which they were made was usually the marble and their height varied, depending on the meaning and utility attributed to them, among the 2 meters and 2 and a half meters.

As anticipated, the aforementioned stones were registered, that is, particular registrations were placed on their surface. A particular writing style, however, as a series of abbreviations were used, in order to save space and, certainly, in order to make the interpretation intuitive.

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Ancient milestone in Romana in Austria. Credit: Matthiaskabel, proper work, CC By -Ssa 3.0.

Usually, on the Roman milestones, the distance from the last previous milestone is placed, usually reported with the number I indicating a Roman mile (approximately 1480 m). This distance could also be calculated from the starting point, or to indicate that the nearest city was, in fact, a mile. Their approval, as the law of the Empire, and the subsequent massive use are undoubtedly attributable to the figure of the tribune of the plebs Gaio Gracco, In 123 BC, with the approval of a law valid for all roads and main arteries of the Empire.

In Italy they initially indicated the distance from the circle of the Servian walls of Rome. In imperial times the reference point was set in Aurean billion (Miliarum Aureuum), consisting of a marble column covered in ancient times in golden bronze, raised at the Temple of Saturn, at the end of the Roman Forum. This was erected by August In the 20 B.Cwhen he became cuitur viarum, that is, a kind of minister of infrastructure of the Roman Empire. The names and distances of the most important cities of the Empire were engraved on the surface of the Aurean Miliaro, even if its function was purely celebrating the office of Curator Viarum by Augustus. However, it was an ideal convergence of the consular roads, the measure of which was calculated starting from the doors of the Servian walls.

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Remains of the Aureo Miliaro. Credit: CC By -Ssa 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The oldest road plate in the world is located in Lisbon in Portugal

We now see another interesting road signal, more modernly conceived, which holds the most ancient road plate record in the world. The oldest road plate in the world It is located in the neighborhood of Alfama, in Lisbon, in Rua Do Salvador. It is a marble plate, it dates back to 1686 and the regulation message of the traffic of King Peter II is engraved. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the city of Lisbon was characterized by a great and lively trafficking of men and goods. The narrow streets of ancient neighborhoods such as Alfama did not however make the management of the great flows of people who calm the roads easy.

The marble plaque bears an enrollment in ancient Portuguese, often abbreviated, which essentially orders: “Year 1686 The meaning is clear: the vehicles (or the means of transport people) who came from a certain direction (Salvador’s ordinance, probably a specific point of the road or an arch) had to go back to allow the transition to those coming from the opposite direction, in an evidently too close point to allow contemporary transit. In practice, it was a signal of “giving precedence” or “alternate sense” ante litteram.

It is believed that King Peter II had ordered the installation of About 24 similar signals In various critical points of Lisbon to manage traffic problems. However, of all these, only that of Rua Do Salvador has come down to us, making it an exceptional find.