centuriation

Centuriation was a Roman method of land surveying and division used for distributing land to settlers and for general inventory purposes. This process typically involved creating squares of approximately 710 meters on a side. The Romans applied this grid system not only to surrounding territories but also to the layout of urban centers, creating a dominant grid of right-angle streets, particularly in the central parts of cities. This orthogonal town planning, while not a Roman invention, was implemented by the Romans with their characteristic regularity in new regions. Evidence of centuriation has been found through crop marks, roads, and air photography in various areas, including Italy, North Africa, and Syria, leaving a lasting mark on the European landscape. The term "centuriation" itself means division into hundreds.12