Mileposts and Mandates: Travel Under Expanding Rule

Before modern borders were marked by checkpoints, authority was often felt along the road. Milestones, bridges, inns, patrols, and tolls organized who could travel, trade, or carry news. This book traces the everyday politics of movement across different eras, keeping attention on messengers, merchants, migrants, and local communities. It shows how governments learned to govern space through maintenance, measurement, and the practical management of passing bodies and goods.