* Orelli, Del. Inser. Latin, No. 643. Philotimus took 36 days (July 9-Aug. 14) from Rhodes to Brundisium (Cic. ad Att, xi. 93; ad Fam. xiv. 24; pro Ligar. 7). ’
+ They were called speculatores: a certain number were at- tached to each legion. The speculatores of the Pretorian guard were closely attached to the Emperor’s person, and formed a sort of bodyguard, ready for confidential service at any time. They were, of course, selected men.
railways were opened may be taken as a fair example of the probable rate per hour: horses were changed frequently; no halts were made except at government offices in the great cities ; and the rate of riding was about 5 Roman miles per hour.* Friedlander (p. 22) rightly estimates that the Imperial post travelled at this rate, though he considers that military couriers travelled at exactly double the rate—10 miles per hour (oc. cit. p. 24). +
Aristides, on the journey to Rome by the Egnatian Way in A.D. 144, as above described, says he travelled as fast as the Imperial couriers ; and this we may confidently take as 5 Roman miles per hour. Similarly, before the railways were opened in Asia Minor, private travellers often rode with the post when they desired to make a rapid journey.
The rate per day of the couriers depends on the number of hours they rode. As to this no certain estimate is possible; but it seems probable that double the ordinary traveller’s journey was the distance required daily of the couriers. A faster rate seems inconsistent with the length of time which Imperial news took to reach distant places.
We conclude, then, that 50 Roman miles per day was the post rate for the Imperial couriers. At this rate about fifty-four days would be needed for despatches from Rome to Alexandria, forty-six to Cresarea (the capital of Palestine), thirty-nine to Syrian Antioch, twenty-four to Byzantium, and seven to Brundisium. But, further, no allowance need be made for halts at the great administrative centres—Casarea, Antioch, Ancyra, and Nicomedia (or the Asian capital when that route was followed). The Turkish post used to halt to allow provincial governors to send on despatches to the more dis- tant provinces, and some time must be allowed for preliminary consideration of the despatches which the courier had brought ; Imperial couriers, however, carried their despatches, as a rule, from Rome to their destination, waiting for nothing by the way.
But, even if the Imperial couriers may sometimes have made such halts by the way, it is entirely improbable that the news of the death of an Emperor and the accession of his successor would be allowed to linger in such a fashion. Couriers would in such a case surely go straight on to their own destination. They would carry official intimations to the governor of each province, and it was the duty of the governor to circulate the news by special edict. Doubtless, a special courier started from Rome for each different province, and the Alexandrian message was carried direct with- out any serious halt by the way. Hence it can hardly be supposed that the news of the accession of Pertinax, which took sixty-three or sixty-four days to reach Alexandria, travelled by this route, unless we allowed for a long detention by stress of weather at Brundisium. But in § xii. we shall see that the news in that case probably travelled by a different route.
As we have seen, hurried travellers went as rapidly as the government couriers. Aristides mentions that he did so; and Friedlinder (p. 24) quotes the following cases, which all evidently imply journeys of 50 miles per day :—
224 miles—fifth day. 310 ,, —sixth day. 141) third day. dt
* The rate for ordinary travellers on horseback on a long journey is 3} or 4 Roman miles per hour; but one finds it quite easy to keep up with the post for a short time, as the writer knows from experience. ; ;
+ It is not clear why he distinguishes the post rate from that of military couriers. The post was carried by military couriers.
t Martial (x. 104) says that the fifth carriage will perhaps bring his correspondent from Tarraco to Bilbilis: he evidently
Tarraco to Bilbilis . Mutina to Rome Rome to Puteoli
388 ROADS AND TRAVEL (IN NT)
ROADS AND TRAVEL (IN NT)
Still more rapid journeys are mentioned. Julius Ceesar is said to have travelled for eight days from the Rhone to Rome at the rate of 100 miles per ap Couriers carrying urgent news sometimes rode for several days in succession at the rate of 150 miles per day. Friedliinder gives 160, but the facts seem to point rather to 150, or six mansiones. Icelus carried the news of Nero’s death to Galba in seven days or a little less (Plut. Gald. 7), pre- sumably going to Tarraco by ship in four days, and thence over 300 miles by land. But such journeys were only performed in stress and need, and afford no standard for ordinary life.
The relation of all these varying rates to the fundamental 25 miles is manifest.
We have made a much more modest estimate of Roman rates of trave] than Friedlinder. He estimates the foot-traveller’s daily journey at 26 or 27 Roman miles, that of the ordinary traveller by carriage at 40 to 50 miles, and that of the courier anywhere from 130 to 160 miles. We regard all these rates as exceptional, and as true even then only for short distances.