One of history's most famous sayings about Rome may be wrong, new study suggests

The study, published Sept. 15 in the journal Nature Communications, analyzed roughly 190,000 miles of Roman roads spanning Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, Turkey, emerged as a far more central hub for overland travel after Emperor Constantine made it the imperial capital in the fourth century A.D.

Therefore, the phrase "all roads lead to Rome" - coined centuries after the Roman Empire fell - may not reveal the whole story.

"It is quite surprising how persistently this maxim has shaped popular understanding of Roman roads," he said.

"It's fair to say our study complicates the proverb," Brughmans added. "I prefer to say, 'All roads lead to Rome and everywhere else.'"

Terpstra, who was not involved in the research, noted that Constantinople "was only created as such in the fourth century."

He added, "But once Constantinople becomes de facto the capital of the empire, it is clear that it attracts a lot of overland connectivity."

Rome did remain the center of political, military and ideological power for centuries, Terpstra said.

"This is where the emperor is. This is where the Senate is. ... [It was the] largest city in the empire, a million inhabitants."

The roads were "about as straight as the Romans could make them" given the technology available at the time, Terpstra said.

The roads initially served a military purpose, the professor added. They allowed troops to move quickly through conquered territory before also taking on an important economic role.

"The roads in the first instance, and it's often forgotten, were military infrastructure," he said. "These were in the first place, after the conquest, intended to move troops quickly."

"The main transportation network of the Roman Empire is maritime," he said. "That is really where the major connectivity lies."