ROADS & BRIDGES OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE Format: Hardcover

The book covers all aspects of road and bridge construction in the Roman Empire, from commissioning, planning and design to contracting and execution. Technical details include surveying, materials, tools and implements. The Roman road network is shown with Latin place names; principles and types of construction are explained. The core of the work deals with bridge construction: design criteria, structural systems, foundations and abutments are dealt with in detail. Particular attractive are five dozens of case studies, presenting individual ridges, which were reviewed by the author on site. Countless illustrations, mostly in color, enliven the book.

As a civil engineer with leading German construction companies, Horst Barow has built highways and bridges in many parts of the world. Having retired he studied history of the antiquity with emphasis on the Roman period. After his graduation he decided to make the study of Roman roads and bridges his special interest, and he systematically collected material and surveyed bridges on the spot.

Friedrich Ragette spent about 30 years teaching and practicing in the Middle East. The past couple of years he was professor of architecture at the American University of Sharjah.