Israel Antiquities Authority: Section of an 1,800-Year-Old Road Exposed in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 25 June 2013

Greetings from the Roman Empire!

A Section of an 1,800 Year Old Road was Exposed in Jerusalem

According to the excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities
Authority, “This is the first time we have encountered such a finely
preserved section of the road in Jerusalem”. The road was exposed within the
framework of an IAA archaeological excavation prior to the installation of a
drainage pipe by the Moriah Company.

An ancient road leading from Jaffa to Jerusalem, which dates to the Roman
period (second–fourth centuries CE), was exposed this past fortnight in the
Beit Hanina neighborhood in northern Jerusalem
http://bit.ly/19y0hxS

The road remains were revealed in an archaeological excavation the Israel
Antiquities Authority conducted in Beit Hanina prior to the installation of
a drainage pipe by the Moriah Company
http://www.antiquities.org.il/home_eng.asp .

The wide road (c. 8 m) was bounded on both sides by curbstones. The road
itself was built of large flat stones fitted to each other so as to create a
comfortable surface for walking. Some of the pavers were very badly worn,
indicating the extensive use that was made of the road, and over the years
the road also underwent a series of repairs.

According to David Yeger, excavation director on behalf of the Israel
Antiquities Authority, “Several segments of the road were previously
excavated by research expeditions of the IAA, but such a finely preserved
section of the road has not been discovered in the city of Jerusalem until
now."

“The Romans attached great importance to the roads in the empire. They
invested large sums of money and utilized the most advanced technological
aids of the period in order to crisscross the empire with roads. These
served the government, military, economy and public by providing an
efficient and safe means of passage. Way stations and roadside inns were
built along the roads, as well fortresses in order to protect the travelers.
The construction and maintenance of the roads was assigned to military
units, but civilians also participated in the work as part of the compulsory
labor imposed on them by the authorities.”

The road section discovered in the IAA excavations in Beit Hanina is part of
the imperial network of roads that led to Jerusalem from the coastal plain.
We know about these roads from both historical sources and archaeological
excavations. Two main arteries led from Jaffa to Jerusalem during the Roman
period. One is the road that passes through Beit Horon and the other runs
via Shaar HaGai. This particular segment belongs to the Beit Horon road. The
road began in Jaffa and passed through Lod where it split it two different
directions: one to Shaar HaGai and the other by way of Modiin along the
route of what is today Highway 443 to Beit Horon. From there the road
continued eastward as far as Bir Nabala and turned south to Kfar Shmuel
where it merged with the highlands road that led to the Old City of
Jerusalem.

In some places we can see that the modern Bir Nabala road was paved just a
few centimeters above the route of the ancient road, which indicates that
until a few decades ago the ancient road in this region was visible and was
used.

Click here to download high resolution pictures
http://bit.ly/C4HqZ
Photographic credit: Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities
Authority

For further details, kindly contact Israel Antiquities Authority
Spokesperson Yoli Shwartz at 052-5991888 or dovrut@israntique.org.il