The Romans may have brought us irrigation, public libraries and agricultural improvements.
But when it comes to roads, they apparently did more harm then good.
Council chiefs have blamed an increasing number of potholes on the Romans - and are blaming asphalt problems on the French.
Apparently, the Romans did not construct roads on strong enough foundations - which has contributed to potholes
Bosses at Kent County Council's Highways Services department - which filled in nearly 15,000 potholes around the county last year - say that potholes keep popping up because it has been using French asphalt.
But, rather than putting the blame squarely on the French, roads chiefs also blamed the Roman Empire for not laying the roads on strong enough foundations 2,000 years ago.
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At a meeting of the Tunbridge Wells Joint Transportation Board on Monday this week, councillors were told that the reason for the soaring number of potholes was due to asphalt bought from France.
John Burr, the highways and transportation boss of Kent Highway Services, said the council bought tonnes of stone mastic asphalt from France after it was deemed a 'success' across the Channel.
He told the meeting: 'It (stone mastic asphalt) was brought in from France where it worked very well, (but) their road structure is very different.
Tory councillor Peter Bullman found the excuses 'astonishing'
'The product is very good and very strong, but because it is so strong, if there is any flex in the road, then it comes out.
'It needs a rock solid foundation that does not weave.'
He then said that as many of the UK's road were 'built by the Romans' they were 'more likely to move' - hence causing potholes.
He then told the meeting that the council was reducing its use of French asphalt and replacing it with hot rolled asphalt, which is less likely to crack on 'flexible roads'.
He added: 'The road movement causes the material to crack and allows water in, which can then get in-between the material layers.
'We plan to tackle this by reducing our reliance on stone mastic asphalt and increasing the use of more flexible materials, such as hot rolled asphalt.'
Astonished councillors couldn't believe what they were hearing - saying the council had wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds on asphalt which was 'no good'.
Tory councillor Peter Bullman, who sits on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, said that works on the many of the county's roads was not done to a 'satisfactory standard' and that many roads were filled with potholes just two years after being laid.
He said: 'I find it astonishing.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has had to refill potholes, which have appeared just two years after they were laid
'What research was done to find out whether that system was going to work in Kent? Was it 'Oh, this looks good, let's give it a go'.
'We don't seem to have done our homework and we've wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds on a process that is not fit for purpose.'
Local David Townsend, 41, said: 'It's typical of the council to blame someone else - it sounds like they are passing the buck on this one.
'Why didn't they test out the French asphalt on one stretch of road rather than rolling it out all over Kent?'
Cllr Bullman confirmed that John Burr, the highways and transportation boss of Kent Highway Services, had referred to 'Roman roads' being an issue - something which Kent County Council today denied.
Cllr Bullman said: 'He made a loose comment at the meeting about Roman roads in the UK making sub-surfaces more likely to move, which I think was a bit of a smokescreen.
'I don't think the A26 was ever a Roman Road and that is the one falling apart because of the asphalt laid down two years ago.'
The A26 is a 50-mile stretch of road which begins in Maidstone and goes through Tunbridge Wells on its way to Newhaven in East Sussex.
A spokesman for Kent County Council said today that transport boss Mr Burr was 'not blaming Roman Roads' for the flexibility of the roads or potholes in Kent.