Kühnsdorf

Roman road

The road network in the Roman Empire encompassed a total of 80,000 to 100,000 km. Roman roads were constructed as straight as possible. The roadbed consisted of gravel, sand, clay, and stones, and was up to one metre thick. State roads were paved with stone, and ditches on both sides of the road provided drainage. These ditches can sometimes still be seen in aerial photographs today. In rocky subsoil, wagon ruts are often still preserved today. Milestones indicated the distance to the next town or road station. During excavations near Kühnsdorf, a 3.6 m wide band of stones was uncovered, extending up to one metre into the earth, stretching approximately 60 m. It is the remains of a Roman road. To the north of this were cremation graves from the late 1st century BCE and inhumations from the 3rd century CE; further east was a burial area from the 1st century CE. Roman graves were usually constructed outside settlements along roads. It is likely that a paved road towards the Drava River ran here in Roman times. The tuff quarry at Peratschitzen and the copper mine at St. Marxen provided raw materials in the immediate vicinity that were already in use in ancient times.