Route
The Via Aquitania was the main Roman road in the province of Aquitania. The province of Aquitania is located in southwestern Gaul. It is bordered on the south and east by the Pyrenees, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the north by the Loire River. The Via Aquitania begins in Narbonne, where it connects to the Via Domitia. Narbonne was the first Roman colony in Gaul. Its purpose was to be an agricultural colony. Narbonne later became an important trade hub in the time of Augustus. During the Pax Romana, traveling became safer. This led to an increase in trade.
In addition to Narbonne, two other important cities, Toulouse and Bordeaux, were situated along the Via Aquitania. The Via Aquitania was the main trade route which connected the Atlantic seaways to Toulouse and Narbonne. At Toulouse, the Via Aquitania intersected with roads leading north to Lyon, which was a main intersection of Gallic roads. Toulouse later became the Visigoth capital. The Via Aquitania ended in Burdigala, modern-day Bordeaux. Bordeaux was an important international trade city, due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. After Gaul was divided into the three provinces of Aquitania, Belgica, and Lugdunensis, Bordeaux became the capital of Aquitania. The Via Aquitania connected these important cities in southern Gaul.
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Famous quotes containing the word route:
“A route differs from a road not only because it is solely intended for vehicles, but also because it is merely a line that connects one point with another. A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects. A road is a tribute to space. Every stretch of road has meaning in itself and invites us to stop. A route is the triumphant devaluation of space, which thanks to it has been reduced to a mere obstacle to human movement and a waste of time.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)
“By whatever means it is accomplished, the prime business of a play is to arouse the passions of its audience so that by the route of passion may be opened up new relationships between a man and men, and between men and Man. Drama is akin to the other inventions of man in that it ought to help us to know more, and not merely to spend our feelings.”
—Arthur Miller (b. 1915)
“By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an eidolon, named Night,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule—
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of space—out of time.”
—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)