In theRoman Empire, amansio (from theLatin wordmansus, the perfect passiveparticiple ofmanere "to remain" or "to stay") was an official stopping place on aRoman road, orvia, maintained by the central government for the use of officials and those on official business whilst travelling.[1]
.png)
The roads which traversed theAncient World were later surveyed, developed and carefully maintained by the Romans, featuring purpose-built rest stops at regular intervals, known ascastra. Probably originally established as simple places of military encampment, in process of time they includedbarracks and magazines of provisions (horrea) for the troops. Over time the need arose for a more sophisticated form of shelter for travelling dignitaries and officials. The Latin termmansio is derived frommanere, signifying to pass the night at a place while travelling (the word is likely to be the source of the English wordmansion, though their uses are entirely different).[1] These substantial structures, normally in the form of a villa, were dedicated to the travellers' rest and refreshment. Guests were expected to provide a passport to identify themselves. In many cases infrastructure to sustain them sprang up around themansio, but also the villas of provincial officials; forts and ultimately even cities.[citation needed] Ox-drawn carts could travel about 30 km per day; pedestrians a little farther, so eachmansio was about 25 to 30 km from the next.[1] At eachmansiocisiarii kept gigs for hire and for conveying government dispatches (Cisium;Essedum).TheItinerarium Burdigalense, which is a road book drawn up in 333, mentions in order themansiones fromBordeaux toJerusalem with the interveningmutationes, and other, more considerable places, which are called eithercivitates,vici, orcastella. The number ofleagues or of miles between one place and another is also set down.[2]
New mansio locations continue to be discovered and yield archaeological elements, e.g. in July 2024 a ring with the inscription "Roma" wasdiscovered at a mansio near Coriglia close toOrvieto.[3]
Themansio was under the superintendence of an officer called "mansionarius".[2] As the bishops assumed control in the Christian West during the fifth and sixth centuries, the office ofmansionarius developed new connotations.Mansionarius is inserted as a synonym ofprosmonarius/paramonarius in canon 2 of theFourth Ecumenical Council (451).[4]
Non-official travellers needed refreshment too, and different grades of facilities were available, often at the same locations as themansiones.
A private system ofcauponae were placed near themansiones. They performed the same functions but were somewhat disreputable, as they were frequented by thieves and prostitutes. Graffiti decorate the walls of the few whose ruins have been found.
Genteel travellers needed something better thancauponae. In the early days of theviae, when little unofficial travel existed, houses placed near the road were required by law to offer hospitality on demand. Frequented houses no doubt became the first tabernae (Latin word "taberna" ("shed" or "hut"; fromtabula, meaning "board"), which werehostels, rather than the "taverns" we know today. Atabernaculum or small taberna was a portable place of worship for theHebrews, thus producing the wordtabernacle.
As Rome grew, so did its tabernae, becoming more luxurious and acquiring good or bad reputations as the case may be. One of the best hostels was the Tabernae Caediciae atSinuessa on theVia Appia. It had a large storage room containing barrels of wine, cheese and ham. Many cities of today grew up around a taberna complex, such asRheinzabern in the Rhineland, andSaverne inAlsace.
A third system ofway stations serviced vehicles and animals: themutationes("changing stations") (ἀλλαγαὶ). In these complexes, the driver could purchase the services of wheelwrights, cartwrights, andequarii medici, or veterinarians. Using these stations in chariot relays, the emperorTiberius hastened 200 miles in 24 hours to join his brother,Drusus Germanicus,[8][9] who was dying ofgangrene as a result of a fall from a horse.
Stationes are mostly known though theAntonine Itinerary and may be similar tomansiones.
