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Full title: Route 66 A.D.: On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists. Nonfiction. Under the Pax Romana, the era from 100 BC to 200 AD became the first time in the history of the world when travel was safe and easy. The Romans were building roads and making maps and eliminating Mediterranean pirates all over the place. So of course, this is the era when tourism began, and when the tourism became an industry for the first time in Greece and Egypt. Tony Perrottet decides to research ancient tourism by actuallly taking a trip and following the path that ancient Roman tourists took, using ancient guidebooks to lead him along the way. However, Perrottet is traveling with his pregnant girlfriend, who gets bigger and bigger as they travel.
A book that combines ancient history with travel writing--you'd think I'd be thrilled, right? I don't know, it was just so-so for me. I honestly wanted more of Perrottet's own travels and experiences (although I know the point was kind of that he's submersing himself in the ancient to avoid what's going on in his life right now). And it seemed like a lot of the ancient history he covered wasn't new to me--I mean, yes, it's ancient Greece, we all know about Zeus and we know about the Parthenon, but for some reason it just wasn't that interesting. Parts of it were. It's a very well-researched book, and approaching the topic from the angle of following the tour was pretty original, I think. Perrottet does a good job of putting things in context--what the Romans would have wanted to see, what the places would have looked like when the Romans were there versus what they look like today (for example, all statues were brightly painted in ancient Greece), how Romans would have reacted to what they were seeing. In that respect it was a really good book. But for some reason it just didn't stand out to me. I think Heather H might like it. It would also be a good book for someone who wants an overview of ancient culture.
A book that combines ancient history with travel writing--you'd think I'd be thrilled, right? I don't know, it was just so-so for me. I honestly wanted more of Perrottet's own travels and experiences (although I know the point was kind of that he's submersing himself in the ancient to avoid what's going on in his life right now). And it seemed like a lot of the ancient history he covered wasn't new to me--I mean, yes, it's ancient Greece, we all know about Zeus and we know about the Parthenon, but for some reason it just wasn't that interesting. Parts of it were. It's a very well-researched book, and approaching the topic from the angle of following the tour was pretty original, I think. Perrottet does a good job of putting things in context--what the Romans would have wanted to see, what the places would have looked like when the Romans were there versus what they look like today (for example, all statues were brightly painted in ancient Greece), how Romans would have reacted to what they were seeing. In that respect it was a really good book. But for some reason it just didn't stand out to me. I think Heather H might like it. It would also be a good book for someone who wants an overview of ancient culture.
