Page 63 - Introduction to Tourism
P. 63
, and on the Greek peninsula of the Mycenaeans,
who flourished from
1600 to 1200 B.C.E. 12 A two - lane road, 13 ½
feet wide, ran from the coast of Crete to the
capital at Knossos. In Greece, roads were
usually one lane, although some were as much
as 11 ½ feet wide, making two - way traffic
possible. Bridges and culverts kept them
passable.
Who traveled? Mainly three groups: the military,
government officials, and caravans.
The warlike Assyrians, like the Romans after
them, realized that roads were basic to moving
their war chariots efficiently. As their empire
expanded from the Mediterranean in the west to
the Persian Gulf in the east, the Assyrians
improved roads, largely for military use.
The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2000 B.C.E. ) recounts
the travels of a Sumerian king who is given
directions by a deity. By only a slight stretch of
the imagination, Gilgamesh ’ s deity might be
regarded as the first travel guide! This adds a
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