Roman Roads and Aqueducts (Building history series)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Work
Review: A really well written account of two of the famous cosntructions of the ancient Romans- roads and aqueducts, though there's a lot more included in this thoughtful book. It also discuses bridges and their construction,as well as inns and stables along the roadways, maps and guidebooks, postal services, and much more. Written for high schhol students but very informative for anyone interested in the topic!

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous Historical Writing
Review: Once again, historian Don Nardo has turned out an information-filled,useful, and just plain interesting study of an aspect of ancient times. His discussion of Roman roads, aqueducts, and bridges is extremely well researched, clearly written, and his many details and anecdotes about how people used these facilities is highly entertaining. Included are discussions of tunnels through mountainsides and the difficulties of keeping them straight, the probelm of people diverting and stealing water from the aqueducts (and the penalities they received when caught), the gangs of slaves who maintained these facilities (with tomb epitaphs they left behind), the scaffolding used by Roman construction workers, and much much more. Along with Nardo's other books, this one deserves to be in every library and classroom.