The Roads to Rome: A History of Imperial Expansion

By Catherine Fletcher

Pegasus Books
ISBN: 978-1-63936-760-3

The Roman Empire constructed an extensive road network that spanned the Mediterranean and much of Europe. This book explores the enduring legacy of these roads, including their significance during the Middle Ages.

Excerpt:

This book is about how that fascination came to exist, and about its implications in both past and present. Besides the obvious practical uses, why have Roman roads been such a persistent cultural presence across so much of Europe? In part, it’s because the Romans themselves decided that they should be. Graves’ Claudius had a point when he called the roads monuments: the milestones beside them kept the names of patrons and emperors alive long after the Romans were gone. The longevity of the road network is remarkable, and its staggering scale conveys Roman power on a level no individual building, however grand, can match.

Who is this book for?

Around 70 pages of this book focus on the role of the Roman road network during the Middle Ages, particularly its use by pilgrims and crusaders. It will be valuable for those studying medieval travel, while readers with broader interests will benefit from understanding this historical infrastructure.

“Fletcher is a thoroughly enjoyable narrator because she peppers her learned prose with wry humour, first-person asides and comparisons between past and present. She describes her trains, meals and chance meetings. A wifi code in Turkey is 1453 written twice (since that’s the year the Ottomans conquered Constantinople) or a statue of Byron holds a broken book so that “it now looks more like a sandwich.” ~ review by Tobias Jones in The Guardian.

The Author

Catherine Fletcher is a Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University and a historian of Renaissance and early modern Europe. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Instagram.

You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.

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