The ancient ways bear witness to the genius of Roman engineering. They mark our landscapes and their itinerary is still taken up today by some of our contemporary routes.
The Domitia route created by the proconsul Cneius Domitius Ahenobarbus around 120 B.C. provides a continuous link for the transport of people and goods from the Rhone Valley to the Pyrenees.
The quality of its implementation explains that some of the sections of its route are still visible and borrowed nowadays by motor vehicles, bicycles or used as pedestrian paths.
The contemporary renewal of outdoor and nature sports practices now gives a second life to these ancient routes reused in the form of hiking trails.
This reappropriation by local populations did not escape the sharp eye of Jean-Claude Martinez. Placed on the ground, the photographer’s lens brings out the remains of antiquity by revealing their value for contemporary use. Like the ancient surveyor, he went in search of the ruts dug by the ancient wagons and knew how to capture human presences and new uses.
His photography has the power to transcend eras, in the form of a time machine that connects ancient monuments and inhabitants of today.
A selection of his photos is displayed along the tour route of the Glanum site.