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Where did the Romans build lighthouses as their empire expanded?
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lighthouse
Lighthouse at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
As the Roman Empire expanded, the Romans constructed numerous lighthouse towers to facilitate coastal navigation. By 400 ce, approximately 30 of these structures were in service across a vast geographic range extending from the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.1
Key locations where the Romans built these lighthouses include:
- Ostia: The port of Rome, where a famous lighthouse was completed in 50 ce.12
- Boulogne, France: A site featuring a Roman tower that remained in use for centuries.31
- Dover, England: A location where a fragment of the original Roman lighthouse still survives today.1
These structures were essential for guiding mariners and marking routes throughout the empire's maritime territories.14