Via Ioannes

The Via Ioannes

The Via Ioannes, or the Ioannes Way, is the National Highway of Aelyria. Stretching over one thousand miles from the Capital City of Aelyria Prime to the city of Daltina, and later extended to Medonia. One of two major roads constructed under the orders of Emperor Constantine to unify the burgeoning Kingdom (and later Empire), the Via Ioannes is the most traveled road in the Realm. Prior to its construction, there were basically two modes of transportation: countryside travel either on dirt roads, horseback, walking or carts; or, travel by ship. Roads as they are understood today did not exist prior to the Emperor's mandate to connect the Empire.

Construction

To plot the straightest and fastest path down a line, Aelyrian engineers relied upon a specialized surveying tool called a groma, which was a vertical pole standing on the ground with a cross on the top, allowing dangling cords to plot a straight line on the ground. This limited the construction of these roads to being generally straight, and incapable of surveying immense curves, and instead turning sharp angles. When approaching hills and valleys, Aelyrian laborers would cut straight through these natural obstacles if necessary. Once the ideal path was cleared, a broad trench was dug and filled in with sand and boulders to create a solid foundation. Next went a layer of gravel compacted with clay or mortar. The top surface was a layer of thick paving stones angled to allow the water to drain off to the side.