Sneak Peek: The Archaeologies of Roads

This is a BIG WEEK at The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota. Tomorrow we have a NEW BOOK DAY and today we have a sneak preview of a book that is set to appear next week.

Today I’m offering a preview of Archaeologies of Roads. It was edited by Tuna Kalaycı and features 15 chapters that explore the archaeology roads from Roman times to 20th century Australia. It’s a fantastic survey of contemporary archaeological approaches to roads.

Here’s the book’s blurb:

What happens if we think of roads not only as a static archaeological object but as a dynamic and complex phenomenon? Inspired by this question, “Archaeologies of Roads” brings together various studies spanning diverse landscapes and epochs. The central premise of the book is to reveal the complexity of the road, be it a modern or an ancient one. The starting point is that the road is not only a container for action but also the action itself; roads are perpetual works in progress, continually shaping and being shaped by the world around them.

Authors contribute with road studies from different contexts, ranging from Bronze Age Pontic–Caspian steppes to Roman Iberia and from Ottoman Anatolia to modern-day China. The book has three sections: routes, methods, and metaphors and constructing histories, reflecting the diversity in and of road studies. As the chapters interweave, they collectively challenge approaches to understanding roads and hopefully inspire readers to transcend conventional boundaries of identification, mapping, and dating of roads. Reflecting the inherent diversity of studying of roads —as a phenomenon, the title of the book calls for many ways of doing road archaeology.

Want a peek at this book before it comes out next week? Check it out here.