A route: the Antonine Itinerary

The Antonine Itinerary is a Roman list of roads, compiled probably in the third century. Each road, or iter, is a line of stations with the distance from one to the next in Roman miles (milia passuum, written mpm). This example takes Iters III and IV, which both run from London into Kent and then part: Iter III goes on to Dover, Iter IV to Lympne. It shows how routes are recorded: the route, its members in order, the roads between them, and the distances.

The text is from G. Parthey and M. Pinder’s edition of 1848, page 225, which also gives the older reference numbers of Wesseling’s edition (473.1 to 473.10) that scholars cite. Locations come from Pleiades.

Download the example as CSV files. The same data is in the repository as PLATO JSON, and part of it, with comments, as linked data.

What the source says

Item a Londinio ad portum Dubris ..... mpm LXVI sic
Durobrivis ........................... mpm XXVII
Duroverno ............................ mpm XXV
Ad portum Dubris ..................... mpm XIIII

Item a Londinio ad portum Lemanis .... mpm LXVIII sic
Durobrivis ........................... mpm XXVII
Duroverno ............................ mpm XXV
Ad portum Lemanis .................... mpm XVI

“From London to the port of Dubris, 66 miles: to Durobrivae 27, to Durovernum 25, to the port of Dubris 14.” The second iter is the same as far as Canterbury.

The sources

source_id	title	citation	uri	date	from	to	derived_from	licence
itinerarium	Itinerarium Antonini Augusti	Itinerarium provinciarum Antonini Augusti, the Roman road itinerary compiled probably in the third century		probably 3rd century	0200	0300
parthey-pinder-1848	Itinerarium Antonini Augusti et Hierosolymitanum	G. Parthey and M. Pinder (eds), Itinerarium Antonini Augusti et Hierosolymitanum ex libris manuscriptis (Berlin: F. Nicolai, 1848)	https://archive.org/details/iternerariumanto00itin	1848	1848	1848	itinerarium	https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
pleiades	Pleiades	Pleiades: a gazetteer of past places, https://pleiades.stoa.org/ (data downloaded 29 September 2026)	https://pleiades.stoa.org/	2026	2026	2026		https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Itinerary itself and the edition are two sources: the edition is derived_from the Itinerary, and every row cites the edition, the thing actually read, with the page and Wesseling line in locator. The edition is out of copyright, so its licence is the Public Domain Mark. Pleiades is a third source, for the locations.

The places

place_id	label	country_codes
iter-iii	Iter III of the Antonine Itinerary: London to Dover	GB
iter-iv	Iter IV of the Antonine Itinerary: London to Lympne	GB
londinium	Londinium (London)	GB
durobrivae	Durobrivae (Rochester)	GB
durovernum	Durovernum (Canterbury)	GB
dubris	Portus Dubris (Dover)	GB
lemanis	Portus Lemanis (Lympne)	GB
leg-londinium-durobrivae	Road from Londinium to Durobrivae	GB
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	Road from Durobrivae to Durovernum	GB
leg-durovernum-dubris	Road from Durovernum to Portus Dubris	GB
leg-durovernum-lemanis	Road from Durovernum to Portus Lemanis	GB

Three kinds of row share this sheet. The two iters are places in PLATO’s sense, because they are things with a history that other data can point to. The five stations are places in the everyday sense. The four roads between stations are segments. Each gets a row in the types sheet saying which it is:

place_id	type_label	type_uri	date	source_id	locator	citation_function
iter-iii	route	https://w3id.org/plato#TypeRoute	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473	citesAsEvidence
iter-iv	route	https://w3id.org/plato#TypeRoute	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473	citesAsEvidence
leg-londinium-durobrivae	segment	https://w3id.org/plato#TypeSegment	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473	citesAsEvidence
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	segment	https://w3id.org/plato#TypeSegment	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473	citesAsEvidence
leg-durovernum-dubris	segment	https://w3id.org/plato#TypeSegment	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473	citesAsEvidence
leg-durovernum-lemanis	segment	https://w3id.org/plato#TypeSegment	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473	citesAsEvidence

The stations have no type here, because the Itinerary does not say what they are.

Members, in order

place_id	relation_type	related_place_id	sequence	date	source_id	locator	citation_function	notes
londinium	MemberOf	iter-iii	1	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.1	citesAsEvidence	The starting point, named in the heading.
leg-londinium-durobrivae	MemberOf	iter-iii	2	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.3	citesAsEvidence
durobrivae	MemberOf	iter-iii	3	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.3	citesAsEvidence
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	MemberOf	iter-iii	4	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.4	citesAsEvidence
durovernum	MemberOf	iter-iii	5	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.4	citesAsEvidence
leg-durovernum-dubris	MemberOf	iter-iii	6	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.5	citesAsEvidence
dubris	MemberOf	iter-iii	7	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.5	citesAsEvidence
londinium	MemberOf	iter-iv	1	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.6	citesAsEvidence	The starting point, named in the heading.
leg-londinium-durobrivae	MemberOf	iter-iv	2	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.8	citesAsEvidence
durobrivae	MemberOf	iter-iv	3	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.8	citesAsEvidence
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	MemberOf	iter-iv	4	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.9	citesAsEvidence
durovernum	MemberOf	iter-iv	5	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.9	citesAsEvidence
leg-durovernum-lemanis	MemberOf	iter-iv	6	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.10	citesAsEvidence
lemanis	MemberOf	iter-iv	7	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.10	citesAsEvidence
leg-londinium-durobrivae	BeginsAt	londinium		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.3	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.
leg-londinium-durobrivae	EndsAt	durobrivae		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.3	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	BeginsAt	durobrivae		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.4	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	EndsAt	durovernum		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.4	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.
leg-durovernum-dubris	BeginsAt	durovernum		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.5	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.
leg-durovernum-dubris	EndsAt	dubris		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.5	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.
leg-durovernum-lemanis	BeginsAt	durovernum		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.10	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.
leg-durovernum-lemanis	EndsAt	lemanis		undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.10	citesAsEvidence	In the direction the Itinerary runs.

The first fourteen rows put each iter in order. Stations and the roads between them share one sequence: London 1, the road 2, Rochester 3, the next road 4, and so on to the port at 7. The two roads to Canterbury appear in both iters, at the same positions, because both iters run along them; the relations for each iter cite that iter’s own line.

The last rows give each road its ends: BeginsAt and EndsAt, in the direction the Itinerary runs. The roads themselves could be travelled either way; the rows record the Itinerary’s direction, and their notes say so.

Distances

place_id	property_uri	property_label	value	unit_uri	date	source_id	locator	citation_function	notes
leg-londinium-durobrivae	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	27	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.3	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm XXVII”. As Iter III gives it.
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	25	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.4	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm XXV”. As Iter III gives it.
leg-durovernum-dubris	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	14	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.5	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm XIIII”. As Iter III gives it.
leg-londinium-durobrivae	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	27	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.8	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm XXVII”. As Iter IV gives it.
leg-durobrivae-durovernum	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	25	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.9	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm XXV”. As Iter IV gives it.
leg-durovernum-lemanis	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	16	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.10	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm XVI”. As Iter IV gives it.
iter-iii	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	66	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.2	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm LXVI sic”. The stated total of the route; its three legs add up to it.
iter-iv	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P2043	length (Roman miles)	68	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2118176	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.7	citesAsEvidence	Written “mpm LXVIII sic”. The stated total of the route, as this edition prints it; its three legs add up to it here. The manuscripts differ: most read LXVI, one (L) is corrected to LXVIIII, and one (G) reads CLXVIII.

Each road’s length is recorded once for each iter that states it, as its own row with its own locator. Both iters say 27 miles from London to Rochester; had they disagreed, the two rows would simply disagree, each with its source, and neither would need correcting. The value is a number, and the unit is Wikidata’s milia passuum, so software can convert it; the notes keep the numeral as printed.

Each iter’s stated total is recorded too, as the edition prints it. The editors mark both totals sic: the manuscripts differ, and for Iter IV most of them read LXVI, which is not what its legs add up to. The note records that disagreement, instead of choosing a reading.

Editions differ too. A transcription of the Itinerary on Wikisource gives the last leg of Iter IV as XVII, not XVI; cite the edition you read, as this example does.

The names and locations

place_id	name	language	script	form_status	date	source_id	locator	citation_function	notes
londinium	Londinio	la	Latn	Attested	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.1	citesAsEvidence	Ablative, in the heading of Iters III and IV: “Item a Londinio”.
durobrivae	Durobrivis	la	Latn	Attested	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.3	citesAsEvidence	Ablative, as the Itinerary lists its stations.
durovernum	Duroverno	la	Latn	Attested	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.4	citesAsEvidence	Ablative, as the Itinerary lists its stations.
dubris	Ad portum Dubris	la	Latn	Attested	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.5	citesAsEvidence	“To the port of Dubris”.
lemanis	Ad portum Lemanis	la	Latn	Attested	undated	parthey-pinder-1848	p. 225, Wess. 473.10	citesAsEvidence	“To the port of Lemanis”.

The names are the forms the Itinerary writes, in the Latin case its lists use (Durobrivis, “to Durobrivae”), marked Attested and explained in the notes.

place_id	latitude	longitude	geometry_role	date	source_id	locator	citation_function
londinium	51.513335	-0.088949	RepresentativePoint	undated	pleiades	places/79574	citesAsDataSource
durobrivae	51.389649	0.502597	RepresentativePoint	undated	pleiades	places/79433	citesAsDataSource
durovernum	51.279876	1.08386	RepresentativePoint	undated	pleiades	places/79439	citesAsDataSource
dubris	51.123013	1.307512	RepresentativePoint	undated	pleiades	places/79646	citesAsDataSource
lemanis	51.068468	1.021146	RepresentativePoint	undated	pleiades	places/79647	citesAsDataSource

place_id	same_as	match_type	certainty	basis	source_id
londinium	https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/79574	exactMatch	1	The name the Itinerary gives matches the Pleiades place	pleiades
durobrivae	https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/79433	exactMatch	1	The name the Itinerary gives matches the Pleiades place	pleiades
durovernum	https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/79439	exactMatch	1	The name the Itinerary gives matches the Pleiades place	pleiades
dubris	https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/79646	exactMatch	1	The name the Itinerary gives matches the Pleiades place	pleiades
lemanis	https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/79647	exactMatch	1	The name the Itinerary gives matches the Pleiades place	pleiades

The coordinates are Pleiades’ representative points, sourced to Pleiades, and each station is matched to its Pleiades record.