Welcome to The Pauline Roads Project.
This site is dedicated to research into the travel of St. Paul and other early Christians. Specifically, it attempts to give precise information on the road system in first-century Anatolia, Greece, and Italy, and the cities they connected. The site is sponsored by Dr. Glen L. Thompson in association with Asia Lutheran Seminary and the history department of Wisconsin Lutheran College, and by the Asia Minor Research Center under the direction of Dr. Mark Wilson. It incorporates the field research conducted as part of The Anatolian Roads Project (TARP).
Purpose and Scope:
1. To help reconstruct as accurately and precisely as possible the routes of the Roman road system of the Eastern Mediterranean. The site concentrates on those routes that connect the cities where first century Christian churches were planted as described in the Acts of the Apostles, the letters of St. Paul and other early Christian documents.
2. To construct a comprehensive archive of information and photos of the ancient road fragments, bridges, mileposts, and other associated structures which are still extant, or which were noted by modern travelers.
3. To provide an overview of each of the cities where first-century Christian congregations are known to have arisen.
4. To provide an archive of the accounts of early modern travelers within the region which have influenced our knowledge of the ancient road system.
5. To raise awareness of these historical artifacts and their fragile nature, and to encourage their preservation as an important part of the world’s cultural heritage.