Description
Temporarily out of stock
Title: Secret History of the Roman Roads of Britain, The
Author: BISHOP M. C.
Format: PAPERBACK
Publication date: 01/10/2019
Imprint: PEN & SWORD
Price: $40.00
Publishing status: Active
There have been many books on Britain’s Roman roads, but none have considered in any depth
their long-term strategic impact. Mike Bishop shows how the road network was vital not only in
the Roman strategy of conquest and occupation, but influenced the course of British military
history during subsequent ages. The author starts with the pre-Roman origins of the network
(many Roman roads being built over prehistoric routes) before describing how the Roman army
built, developed, maintained and used it. Then, uniquely, he moves on to the post-Roman history
of the roads. He shows how they were crucial to medieval military history (try to find a medieval
battle that is not near one) and the governance of the realm, fixing the itinerary of the royal
progresses. Their legacy is still clear in the building of 18th century military roads and even in the
development of the modern road network. Why have some parts of the network remained in use
throughout? The text is supported with clear maps and photographs. Most books on Roman roads
are concerned with cataloguing or tracing them, or just dealing with aspects like surveying. This
one makes them part of military landscape archaeology. Mike Bishop’s The Secret History of the
Roman Roads of Britain has been nominated for Current Archaeology’s Book of the Year award.
24 b/w maps and plans
ISBN: 9781526761132
Dimension: 234mm X 156mm