What is it about?
This article shows the connection between the roads that were built under the Roman emperor Augustus and the myths of Hercules that were part of the landscape these roads traversed. It specifically focusses on the roads in modern Spain and the southern part of modern France that were named after the emperor: the via Augusta and the via Iulia Augusta.
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Photo by Simone Pellegrini on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The article offers us a glimpse into the way the ideology of Roman emperors was constructed. Ideological expressions are shown to have been strongly embedded in traditions bound to the various regions that were part of the Roman Empire.
Perspectives
I hope this article will add to a general understanding of how interactions with and alterations to the landscapes are an important means through which people come to grips with far-reaching societal developments - such as the formation of the Roman Empire.
Sven Betjes
Radboud Universiteit
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Paving the Route of Hercules, April 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004537460_009.
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