Editing Milestone (section)

=== Roman Empire ===
[[File:Geira Milha XXIX caminho.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient Rome|Roman]] milestone XXIX on Via Romana XVIII – the road linking the [[Iberia]]n cities of [[Braga|Bracara Augusta]] and [[Astorga, Spain|Asturica Augusta]]]]
[[File:Milestone kirkby thore.JPG|thumb|Roman milestone on the former [[A66 road|A66]] between [[Kirkby Thore]] and [[Temple Sowerby]] (no inscription)]]
''[[Miliarium]]'' ({{IPA|la-x-classic|miːllɪˈaːrɪ.ũː ˈau̯rɛ.ũː|lang|link=yes}}) were originally [[Rock (geology)|stone]] [[obelisk]]s – made from [[granite]], [[marble]], or whatever local stone was available – and later [[concrete]] posts. They were widely used by [[Roman Empire]] road builders and were an important part of any [[Roman road]] network: the distance travelled per day was only a few miles in some cases.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} Many Roman milestones only record the name of the reigning emperor without giving any placenames or distances.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. I: Inscriptions on stone |last=Collingwood |first=R. G.|year=1965 |publisher=[[Clarendon Press]] |location=Oxford |author2=Wright, R. P.| url = https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/rib/vol-I}}</ref> The first Roman milestones appeared on the [[Appian Way]]. At the centre of Rome, the "[[Golden Milestone]]" was erected to mark the presumed centre of the empire: this milestone has since been lost. The Golden Milestone inspired the [[Zero Milestone]] in Washington, D.C., intended as the point from which all road distances in the United States should be reckoned. [[Odometer]]s were used to measure the Roman milestone spacing, most likely based on [[Ancient Greek technology]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}