Itinerarium Burdigalense

The itinerary Burdigalense (also known as an itinerary Hierosolymitanum ) is the oldest known Travel Guide ( itinerary ). It was written by an anonymous Christian pilgrims from Burdigala, today's Bordeaux, during a visit to the Holy Land in the years 333-334.

In contrast to the then customary pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem, which ran across the Mediterranean, led the route across land, through northern Italy, the Danube Valley to Konstantin Opel, then through Asia Minor and Syria to the Holy Land. There he attended, among others, Jerusalem, Jericho, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem and Hebron. The return journey was over Macedonia, Otranto, Rome and Milan. There, the itinerary ends. Whether the pilgrims returned to Bordeaux, is not listed.

The itinerary includes a compilation of the cities, horse changing stations ( mutationes ) and hostels ( mansiones ) and the distances between the individual stages. From the distance data and the descriptions can be concluded that the pilgrims in total about 10,000 kilometers and put 20 provinces crossed. Alone for the route between Constantinople and Jerusalem Opel he needed for the round trip every 2 months.

About the pilgrim is nothing else known. It could be a government official or a person close to the administration that the state's transportation system, the cursus publicus used. It is also not ruled out that it was a woman (see the itinerary of Egeria ).