Cardo
A cardo (plural: cardines) was a north-south street in a Roman camp or settlement. The name derives from the same Latin word meaning a hinge, which in turn may derive from the Greek word for heart, kardia. Both sources may refer to the integral nature of the streets in the Roman settlement. The main north-south street in a settlement or camp was the cardo maximus. In an orthogonally planned settlement, the cardo maximus would typically run between the north and south gate (or barring walls, the primary north and south entrance into the settlement), and would intersect with the main east-west street, the decumanus maximus, at or near the forum of the settlement.
