How can it take 2 months on foot, yet only 1 month per horse, when a horse can only travel between 25-35 miles a day, which is not twice as far as a human can travel in a day, but about equal?
Horses would often be swapped out at stations when a wealthy person would have to travel very quickly across a long distance. Maybe this is an average since the speed with which horsemen could travel would depend on the rate at which they exchanged their horses.
In an extreme example from the year 9 BC, the future emperor Tiberius traveled on the Roman Roads 330 miles (531 km) between northern Italy and modern day Mainz, Germany in 36 hours without sleep. He was rushing to the deathbed of his older brother Drusus after the latter suffered mortal injuries in a freak horse accident. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drususstein
Yes, for wealthy people who could swap out horses. If it was just a regular person like you or I with a horse, it wouldn’t increase your speed and even slow you down.
Horses were used for pulling or carrying loads, they are only faster on short high speeds, not long distances
About 30km/18 miles per day is a common value used in Europe. On a single day you can easily do twice that if you don't carry too much and are used to walking long distances, but it would be difficult to sustain. Also the number allows for time to set up camp (and tear it down in the morning), prepare meals, etc.
When I was a boy scout (so 16 -18 yo) we were walking as a team 50-70 km per day and could sustain that for 2-3 days. More perhaps, but there was nowhere to go any further. We were wearing 20 kg in rather uncomfortable backpacks.
On forced marches we could keep 7-8 km/h speed. And sometime we have practiced legionary walk which is alternating 200 steps jogging and 700 steps walking.
One of the badges was for walking 100 km in a day and lot of my friends got it.
But back then we were generally walking a lot, day by day, every year.
When I was in elementary school, we would do charity walks every year to raise money for the poor. They were 20 miles.
It took us all day, but if a bunch of kids between fourth and eighth grades and their nun teachers can do it, I'm surprised how many adults on this web site think it's too far.
Did you do it with a suitcase of stuff for a week- or month-long stay in another city, and contingencies like extra water, food, stove etc if you get laid over in a remote area without facilties? Did you do it rain or shine, on paved roads or muddy rutted-out dirt roads?
Well I did 30km with ~1500m height gained three-four times a week for a while. If I pushed I maybe could do 60km, but that would be no fun. Tops was 40 km on trails and 2500m gained, but that was extreme.
You need enough water, good shoes and nice weather for that. Or a flatter terrain.
On flats, 20km takes ~3.2 hours and yes you can walk 60 or 80 in a day and not drop dead at the end of it if you take care.
I wonder how long can a horse sustain that pace vs a human. Those who hike the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), which takes 4-5 months, might do ~20 miles per day with a “zero” (rest) day every ~10 days.
The average PCT thruhike in 2012 was 152 days, or over 5 months (https://www.pcta.org/2013/how-long-does-a-pct-thru-hike-take...). Only skilled and experienced thruhikers are able to complete it, so there is serious selection bias in that figure as well.
It's only with advancements in backpacking and outdoors tech that anyone is able to do that.
I don't know why everyone in this thread seems to think titanium tent stakes and frame backpacks and gore-tex jackets and polarfleece and plastic pump-driven charcoal water filters and chocolate bars and first aid (that wouldn't kill you) were a thing during ancient rome.
My thought is that one didn't simply travel alone on horseback, but with a group and baggage, and I wouldn't expect servants to be mounted. The animals help with the baggage. You also would want a group since there are highwaymen and freebooters on the road.
I seem to recall oxen speed being about 12 miles per day.
I'm sure the author would have more details on the ambiguity. Are the walkers marching soldiers? Is the rider a courier who changes to fresh horses at waystations? It's not clear :)
