
ORBIS: Stanford's Roman World Transport Model
ORBIS represents a groundbreaking achievement in digital historical scholarship, transforming our understanding of connectivity in the ancient world. Developed by Stanford University, this sophisticated geospatial network model reconstructs the true shape of the Roman Empire not as it appears on conventional maps, but as it was experienced by people living within its vast boundaries. The project’s fundamental insight is revolutionary: in the premodern world, cost rather than distance determined connectivity. By simulating movement along the extensive Roman road network, major navigable rivers, and hundreds of Mediterranean, Black Sea, and coastal Atlantic routes, ORBIS reveals how geography, technology, and seasonal variations shaped the flow of people, goods, and information across three continents. The model accounts for different modes of transport from oxcarts to horse relays, incorporating realistic travel speeds and costs. ...


