Following Caesar: From Rome to Constantinople, the Pathways That Planted the Seeds of Empire

Julius Caesar became the curator of the Via Appia in 66 BC, borrowing significant sums to restore the ancient highway. He gained popularity and led armies along the road to battle enemies in Roman civil wars. Octavian and Mark Antony traveled portions of both roads to defeat Caesar's murderers. Cicero, Homer, Virgil, and other notables traveled along one or both of these roads. In the late first century A.D., the emperor Trajan charted a new coastal route between Benevento and Brindisi, later called the Via Traiana. Today, short stretches of the original three roads can be seen in the ruins of ancient Roman cities and through the countryside near modern highways named for their predecessors.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 15 January 2024
Publisher: St Martin's Press

In 66 BC, a young and ambitious Julius Caesar, seeking recognition and authority, assumed the role of curator of the Via Appia. He embarked on a massive restoration project, borrowing substantial sums to revive the ancient highway. This strategic initiative aimed to secure crucial electoral votes from Roman citizens residing in towns and villages along the route, spanning from Rome to Brindisi between 312-191 B.C. Caesar's efforts were successful, and he rapidly gained popularity, supported by grateful villagers along the way. After achieving greatness in Rome and the far-flung territories of Gaul, he led his armies along this road to confront enemies in Roman civil wars. Furthermore, he crossed the Adriatic Sea and joined Via Appia's sister road, the Via Egnatia, which originated in present-day Albania. Other armies followed these two interconnected roads, eventually leading Rome to Byzantium, known today as Istanbul. During the reign of Octavian, who later became Rome's first emperor, and his friend and eventual enemy Mark Antony, they traveled portions of both roads to defeat Caesar's assassins Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in eastern Macedonia. Notable figures such as Cicero, Homer, Virgil, and numerous other prominent Romans traversed one or both of these roads during the Roman Empire's first century. In the early years of Christianity, the apostles Peter and Paul journeyed along sections of these roads, eventually meeting their tragic ends in Rome. Pilgrims, seeking salvation in distant Jerusalem, followed them throughout much of the Middle Ages. In the late first century A.D., the emperor Trajan charted a new coastal route between Benevento and Brindisi, later known as the Via Traiana, bypassing the deteriorating final section of the Via Appia.

Today, remnants of the original three roads can be observed in the ruins of ancient Roman cities, now preserved as archaeological wonders. Short stretches of these roads can also be found in the countryside near and. These ancient pathways serve as a testament to the remarkable engineering and logistical achievements of the Roman civilization and continue to captivate historians, scholars, and enthusiasts alike.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 146 x 216 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781250792402