The Roads and Highways of Ancient Israel.

• Author: Hess, Richard S.

This volume contains three sections. The first addresses the nature and use of roads in the ancient Near East and the classical world. The third considers terminology used in the Hebrew Bible to describe roads. The second and largest part examines the road network of ancient Israel, especially as defined in the Iron Age. This book aims to provide the reader with a complete survey and discussion of everything which can be known about the roads in Israel. In undertaking this task, Dorsey has sought to integrate all relevant ancient, classical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern literary sources. He has also applied a knowledge of the archaeology of the period and an awareness of the geography and topography of the land.

A wide variety of information is presented on the nature of roads. Although it is no surprise to learn that the most common mode of travel was by foot and that the most common means of transport was the donkey, a survey from various accounts of the speed of travel presents unexpected figures of twenty miles a day on foot and an average of fourteen to fifteen miles a day for armies. A survey of the excavated sites in Israel leads to the conclusion that streets were commonly 2-4.5 meters wide. The argument for an average width of 3-4 meters and for two lanes on most ancient roads is based upon evidence from other lands. Biblical attestations and archaeology support the comparative evidence for a lack of paving on roads and an absence of bridges. Taverns and hostels are discussed as is the naming of roads. Marking roads with cairns is mentioned although the significant archaeological evidence from the Israeli Negev is not mentioned.

In order to identify Iron Age roads, Dorsey seeks combined...