Host Researcher: Dr Catherine Fletcher

This is an opportunity to participate in

a real-life research project to complete a book that you’ll be able to see for yourself in bookshops in 2024!

You’ll be researching aspects of the history of the roads to Rome as required for completion the book and related social media stories. There will be some choice of chronological sections to focus on:

1.     Ancient: covers the construction and development of the Roman road network, and its continuing use following the ‘fall’ of the Roman Empire.

2.     Medieval: covers the use of the roads by crusaders, pilgrims and during the Avignon papacy.

3.     Early modern: covers Renaissance triumphs, religious exiles and refugees, Grand Tourists.

4.     Modern 1: covers the Napoleonic Wars, Garibaldi and Italian unification, and the rise of mass tourism.

5.     Modern 2: covers Mussolini and the rise of Italian fascism, the Second World War and the post-war fate of the road network.

What you’ll be doing

Tasks for Week 1: Team meeting and briefing on project. Introduction to IT tools to be used in the project, to key skills in bibliographic research, and to different emphases of academic and popular history research.

Tasks for Week 2: Team meeting, discussion of work so far, introduction to social media for historians, and setting of priorities for continuing research.

Tasks for Week 3: Team meeting, discussion of work so far and launch of social media element.

Tasks for Week 4: Finalise research, continued production of social media stories from research undertaken. Reflection on skills acquired during project.

The exact timing of the work is flexible and we will agree a time for team meetings that works for everyone involved.