The Road A Story Of Romans And Ways To The Past

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'An absolute joy to read and an early contender for every list of History Books of the Year' Sunday Telegraph 'On nearly every page a random passage takes one's breath away' The Times Have you ever heard the march of legions on a lonely country road? For two thousand years, the roads the Romans built have determined the flow of ideas and folktales, where battles were fought and where pilgrims trod. Almost everyone in Britain lives close to a Roman road, if only we knew where to look. In the beginning was Watling Street, the first road scored on the land when the invading Romans arrived on a cold and alien Kentish shore in 43 CE. Campaign roads rolled out to all points of the compass, forcing their way inland and as the Britons fell back, the roads pursued them relentlessly, carrying troops, supplies and military despatches. In the years of fighting that followed, as the legions pushed onwards across what is now England, into Wales and north into Scotland in search of booty, mineral wealth, land and tribute, they left behind a vast road network, linking marching camps and forts, changing the landscape, etching the story of the Roman advance into the face of the land, channelling our lives today. Christopher Hadley, acclaimed author of Hollow Places, takes us on a lyrical journey into this past, retracing and searching for an elusive Roman road that sprang from one of the busiest road hubs in Roman Britain. His passage is not always easy. Time and nature have erased many clues; bridges rotted and whole woods grew across the route. Carters found an easier ford downstream, and people broke up its milestones to mend new paths. Year after year the heavy clay swallowed whole lengths of it; the once mighty road became a bridleway, an overgrown hollow-way, a parched mark in the soil. Hadley leads us on a hunt to discover, in Hilaire Belloc's phrase, 'all that has arisen along the way'. Gathering traces of archaeology, history and landscape from poems, church walls, hag stones and cropmarks, oxlips, killing places, hauntings and immortals, and things buried too deep for archaeology, The Road is a mesmerising journey into two thousand years of history only now giving up its secrets.

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR ‘An absolute joy to read and an early contender for every list of History Books of the Year’ Sunday Telegraph ‘On nearly every page a random passage takes one’s breath away’ The Times Have you ever heard the march of legions on a lonely country road?

Table of contents

*Includes pictures. *Includes ancient accounts of the Appian Way's history and construction. *Explains the Appian Way's role during the Second Punic War and Spartacus' rebellion. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. “Appia teritur regina longarum viarum” ("The Appian Way is the queen of the long roads") - Statius The modern world has the ancient Romans to thank for the origins of many modern technologies, conveniences, and ideas such as running water, baths, and republican style government, but roads are another influence the Romans have had on the modern world that are often taken for granted. Although Roman roads may not have attained the glamorous status of other inventions, their influence is just as profound; roads provide essential communication and transport lines for any country – they are the veins and arteries that move the life-blood of trade and peoples that make a country thrive. Indeed, throughout the hundreds of years when Rome was ascendant in the ancient world, the roads they built held together first their republic and then their empire into a cohesive unit. Many of these roads were important, but one road stands above all others: the Appian Way (or Via Appia as it was called in the Latin spoken by the Romans). Since the Appian Way was first built in 312 BC, it has inspired poets, slaves, and conquerors, and Mark Antony, Spartacus, Hannibal, and Horace are just a few of the notable historical personalities who traveled on the Appian Way. For some, marching along the Appian Way became an integral part of their lives, while others lost their lives along the road (Hamblin and Grunsfeld 1974, 4-5). Fittingly, the road's construction was part of a long process in road building that was also indicative of Roman expansion across the Mediterranean, and at the peak of Roman power, the Appian Way extended over 300 miles. Due to its importance in world history and its primacy among other ancient Roman roads, a Roman named Publius Painius Statius assigned the moniker “lungarum regina viarum” (“Queen of long-distance roads”) to the Appian Way in the 1st century AD, over 300 years after it was first built (Hamblin and Grunsfeld 1974, 3). The moniker stuck, and it has been called the Queen of Roads ever since. But while the Appian Way will always be associated with Ancient Rome, it was not only important to the ancient Romans but also in later periods of world history. It was deemed crucial enough that the Vatican ordered a parallel road network constructed alongside it during the Middle Ages, and it played an important role as recently as World War II. At the same time, the Appian Way has been so well-preserved that people can still walk along it today, even as they see Roman ruins on the sides of the road that remind tourists and viewers of both Rome's proud history and its eventual collapse. All Roads Lead to Rome: The History of the Appian Way chronicles the construction and history of Rome's most important road. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Appian Way like never before, in no time at all.

The Appian Way was the first great artery from Rome to southern Italy and the model for all roads originating in the ancient capital. Conceived by Appius Claudius in 312 B.C., the thoroughfare provided easy access to Capua, the most important junction in southern Italy, and facilitated Roman expansion into the southern peninsula. Paved in black basalt, the road was flanked by level pedestrian footpaths and bordered by tombs, villas, and pleasant rest and refreshment areas along its 365 miles, which could be walked in thirteen to fourteen days. The Ancient Appian Way provides an engaging account of the Appian Way's origins and historical context. The structure of this lavishly illustrated book mirrors the traveler's route south from Rome, making it an ideal guide to the legendary road for all those with an interest in exploring ancient Rome.

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This unique book explores the history of Cumbria via ten ancient routes that wind through some of the most spectacular parts of the Lake District and the rest of the county.

They say all roads lead to Rome - but some are more important than others.Along 350 miles from Rome to Brindisi, the Appian Way rose from its humble beginnings as a military track to become the engine that transformed Ancient Rome into the greatest empire Europe had ever seen.Two thousand years later, with the continent in the process of another seismic shift, bestselling author David Hewson travels its route in the footsteps of the ordinary and extraordinary people who trod its path. From the gladiator rebel Spartacus to the marauding general Hannibal, via emperors, martyrs and politicians, he uncovers the stories of war, intrigue and ambition buried beneath its cobblestones.Whether you love history, travel, Italy or all three, The Appian Way is a vivid, personal and fascinating exploration of an ancient journey that has never been more relevant. Complete with an exclusive online photo album of the main locations and an interactive Google Earth map. 'A seamless mix of present and past. The Appian Way brings Roman history vividly alive.'Dakota L. Hamilton, Humboldt Kent University