Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Trivia
Trivia is information considered to be of little importance or consequence. If you did not consider the study of Latin a trivial pursuit, you might know that tri vium is Latin for “three roads.” Tri gives us “triangle,” a three-sided shape and “triathlon,” a competition in three sports. “Vium” is the root of the modern words “viaduct,” a road or route to provide a passage, and “deviate,” to stray away front the road or path.
In ancient Rome, the intersection of three roads was naturally called a trivium. It was a place where people often met on their way to market or the neighboring town. Accordingly, it became known as place where people would stop to talk and gossip. Their exchanges were called “trivialis,” which supposes that they talked of inconsequential things. Eventually this gave trivia its modern meaning.
Roman roads were amazing engineering feats. They built huge infrastructures of thoroughfares from local paths to long-distance highways. They connected cities, towns and military bases. Roman roads tended to be built in ruler-straight lines as an efficient way to span space and save building materials, often cutting straight up steep hills. Major roads were paved with stones, sloped for drainage and bordered by footpaths and horse paths. At Rome’s peak, the empire was connected by 250,000 miles of roads including 29 major highways that radiated from the capital itself. 50,000 miles of road were stone paved and exist today, although some have been overlaid by modern roads. The amazing framework they constructed can hardly be called a trivial accomplishment.
