Long before paved highways and global transportation networks, early civilizations built routes that would define the flow of goods, people, and culture. These ancient roads, created by empires and early societies, were designed for longevity — and many of them remain visible or walkable today, shaping human history. From Asia to Europe and the Americas, these age-old paths helped shape the modern world by linking distant regions through trade, migration, and conquest.
Archaeological studies show that these surviving roads were more than just travel corridors. They served as instruments of power, economic development, and social connection. Some date back over 5,000 years and were crafted with impressive skill, using stone, gravel, and even carved milestones to guide travelers. Though time has weathered their surfaces, these routes continue to tell the story of humanity’s earliest efforts to connect across vast distances.
Royal Road of Knossos
One of the oldest known paved roads in Europe is the Royal Road of Knossos in Crete. Built by the Minoan civilization over 3,500 years ago, it once connected the palace at Knossos with a nearby harbor. The carefully constructed path, with stone layers over clay and gravel, highlights the engineering skills of a society that thrived in the Bronze Age. Visitors can still walk this ancient road today.
Yuen Tsuen Ancient Trail
In East Asia, the Yuen Tsuen Ancient Trail in Hong Kong offered a vital link between rural villages long before the city’s rise. For centuries, farmers used the 9-mile trail to carry goods such as salt and seafood to markets. The path still runs through forested hills and old settlements, offering a glimpse of Hong Kong’s rural past.
Via Egnatia
The Via Egnatia, built more than 2,000 years ago by the Romans, stretched nearly 700 miles from the Adriatic Sea to modern-day Istanbul. This route allowed Roman officials, merchants, and soldiers to move quickly across the Balkans. Roads such as the Via Egnatia, supported by strong stone foundations and carefully planned rest stops, became essential to Rome’s success as an empire.
Khmer Highway
In Southeast Asia, the Khmer Highway linked Angkor — the capital of the Khmer Empire — with far-off provinces. Built between the 9th and 15th centuries, it featured raised causeways and stone bridges. This vast network helped spread Khmer influence across what is now Cambodia and Thailand. Sections of the road can still be explored, especially near Angkor Wat.
Persian Royal Road
The Persian Royal Road, built under Darius the Great, ran more than 1,600 miles (2,574 km) and connected ancient Persia with the western edge of modern-day Turkey. Relay stations allowed couriers to carry messages quickly across the empire — a model that influenced later postal systems.
Nakasendō Highway
In Japan, the Nakasendō Highway connected Edo (now Tokyo) with Kyoto through mountainous terrain. During the Edo period, the route was regulated and supported by nearly 80 post towns. Portions of this scenic road, especially in the Kiso Valley, remain open to visitors.
King’s Highway, Jordan
The King’s Highway in Jordan has roots going back to the Bronze Age. Used by Nabataean traders and later expanded by the Romans, this route linked northern and southern Jordan, including the famous city of Petra. Travelers today still use parts of this ancient road.
San Bernardino Pass
In Europe, the San Bernardino Pass in Switzerland served as a crucial link between Italy and northern Europe. Though Romans may have used it, the pass gained importance in the Middle Ages. A hospice opened in the 15th century helped travelers cross the high mountain path.
Camino de Peabiru
Across the globe in South America, the Camino de Peabiru formed an indigenous network that once stretched from Brazil’s Atlantic coast to the highlands of Peru. While much of it has disappeared into forest, archaeologists continue to uncover its traces using satellite imagery.
El Camino Peabiru es un largo sendero precolombino que cruzaba Sudamérica mucho antes de la colonización, conectando la cordillera de los Andes con el Océano Atlántico. Aunque tiene algunas ramificaciones, su recorrido principal consistió en conectar la región donde actualmente… pic.twitter.com/IDuKBGIB3r
— Informa Cosmos (@InformaCosmos) July 18, 2024
Via Augusta
The Via Augusta, Spain’s longest Roman road, once stretched over 900 miles (1,448 km) across the Iberian Peninsula. Roman engineers constructed bridges and marked milestones along its route. Today, several modern highways follow its path.
Silk Road
The Silk Road, more a network than a single road, connected China with the Mediterranean for over a thousand years. Along these paths, goods such as silk and spices traveled with religious beliefs and inventions. Cities such as Samarkand and Kashgar rose as cultural centers along the route.
Ridgeway
In Britain, the Ridgeway has guided travelers for over 5,000 years. It crosses chalk ridges and passes prehistoric sites, serving as a natural, elevated route that avoided muddy valleys. It is now a designated National Trail.
Road to Giza
In Egypt, the road leading to the Giza Plateau once carried pharaohs and stone blocks during pyramid construction. It remains a ceremonial and tourist path today, offering views of the same ancient structures seen thousands of years ago.
King’s Highway
In the United States, the King’s Highway, ordered in the 17th century, linked colonial cities from South Carolina to Massachusetts. Parts of this old route became U.S. Route 1 and still serve travelers today.
Old Great North Road
In Australia, convicts built the Old Great North Road in the 19th century. The hand-carved road opened new lands for settlers and remains preserved in parts of New South Wales, offering a look at early colonial labor and expansion.
These roads stand as reminders of how early societies built lasting infrastructure with limited tools but great vision. They connected cities, spread cultures, and supported armies and traders alike. Even now, as modern highways crisscross the globe, many of these ancient routes remain part of the landscape — inviting travelers to walk the same ground as those who came long before.