Roadways were the lifeblood of Ancient Rome. Over the course of 700 years, the Roman built more than 55,000 miles of paved highways throughout Europe - enough to encircle the globe. These engineering marvels ensured the swift movement of goods, soldiers and information across the empire and played a crucial role in tightening Rome's grasp on the Mediterranean Basin both economically and politically. The Romans earned a lot of revenue through trade made possible by ease of transport on their roads. They would charge a tax for use of the roads.