Röm.-German. Museum Köln

Röm.-German. Museum Cologne
This is the replica of a coach from Roman times (from 250 B.C. - to 450 A.D.) in which only the metal parts really come from that period. The Romans already had a number of things which we would have probably attributed to a later era. This vehicle had a spring suspension, at that time the roads were much worse than they are now. The "comfort" was achieved by suspending the construction from the chassis using leather straps.
What one cannot fail to notice is that, compared with the modern carriages of today, there are no brakes. If the slope got too steep, a wooden bar was pushed into the rear spokes, thus blocking the rear axle. In this way the heavy vehicle was prevented from running into and injuring the valuable horses. 07/08