BERGIER (Nicolas) - Lot 377

BERGIER (Nicolas) Histoire des grands chemins de l'Empire romain, contenant l'origine, progrès & estenduë quasi incroyable des chemins militaires, pavez depuis la ville de Rome iusques aux extrémitez de son Empire. Paris, Morel, 1622. In-4: 23f., 855pp. 14f. Occasional spotting, some leaves browned. Contemporary speckled brown calf, spine ribbed and decorated, red title page, minor damage to headpieces, jaws cracked at entrances, wear and tear, gilt roulette on edges, marbled edges. First edition of this important work on the historical geography of the Roman Empire. This is the most important work by Nicolas Bergier, archaeologist and royal historiographer. For many years, it was an indispensable handbook for scholars and researchers of the 17th and 18th centuries, as it catalogued all the roads of the Roman Empire, as well as the houses, palaces, tombs, gardens and even the animals and nature around them. Provenance: 18th-century printed bookplate and Octave A4514 bookplate in La Réole.