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The spatial pattern of the Roman Empire began with the control of Italy, and later the Mediterranean. The Empire then developed further with a network of roads.
It was the Roman navy that gained control of the Mediterranean, and therefore main ports such as Marseilles, Constantinople and Alexandria became a focus for transport, trade, administration and law, and military strategy.
From those main centres, or focus points, came excellent networks of roads. These proved useful for both trade and moving armies to trouble spots around the Empire. The central network was Rome itself, and from there comes the famous saying, “All roads lead to Rome.”
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