Features of transport in ancient Rome
Since all forms of carriage and pack transport were forbidden in Rome for personal use, Romans had to move around the city mostly on foot. Given that the city was quite large even by today’s standards (20 km. in circumference at the end of the first century AD), and the configuration of Roman clothing, especially the toga, was not conducive to fast walking, moving from one quarter to another could take several hours.
The only means of transportation allowed was the lectica (Latin: Lectica — stretcher or palanquin), which was available only to a small number of rich and noble people. At least four slaves + two or more clients who actively pushed the crowd (sometimes using wooden sticks) were needed to get the Lectica moving. The slave-bearer (lectionary) had to have not only stamina, but also certain walking skills to carry the master not only quickly, but also gently — to avoid seasickness.
The more noble and wealthy a Roman was, the more spacious and sumptuously decorated he had a lectica. According to Juvenal, in a hexaphora (a lectica with six porters) one could sleep, read, or write on the road. That is, in addition to the bed there was also a cist with scrolls, tablets and writing utensils. A miniature version of the lectica was the sella, often used by Roman noblewomen to travel as guests.
