Until the 20th century, roads were usually not paved. Sure there were ancient Roman roads, Inca roads, etc. But the vast majority of roads weren't paved. Even city centers were serviced with dusty packed dirt roads. This was not only unhygenic, but these roads were easily pitted and rutted by horse and wagon. When it rained it turned to mud.
A major change came with asphalt. This is what is commonly called "tar". Asphalt is taken from tar pits and when it cooled it became a solid. It could be remelted and poured over gravel, which is then rolled to make a nice hard surface. This was far more economical than Roman style road building, requires little engineering know-how, and was easy to repair and resurface.
The material and technique were all available for centuries. Would access to cheap and plentiful roads revolutionize the way of life in ancient times?