From the nature of the soil in the Holy Land, the roads must have been sometimes mountainous and rocky, sometimes level and sandy. The former were the most difiicult, and in the rainy season the torrents made them dangerous (Schulz, Leitnng, v, 350). Yet the)' had a firmness which was important, since little was known of road-making in the East. (The ancient Indians [//irtf/Ms] must be excepted, according to the accounts of trustworthy historians; see Strabo, xv, 680, and the remains of ancient artificial roads wliich are still extant [see Von Bohlen, Indien, ii, 199 sq.]. The Persians may have learned the art from India.) In Deut. xix, 3 (comp. Mishna, Maccoth, ii, 5) it seems that the minds of the Israelites were early familiarized with the ielea, "Thou shalt prepare thee a waj' . . . that every slayer may flee thither ;" and Qther passages, when taken in connection with it, seem to prove that to some extent artificial roads were known to the He- brews in the commencement of their commonwealth. In Isa. xl,3 are these words: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low ; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain." Nor is the imagery unusual (comp. Isa, xi, IG; xix, 23; xxxiii, 8; xxxv, 8; xlix, 11; Ixii, 10). In 1 Sam. vi, 12 we read: "The kine went along tlie highway, low- ing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." In Numbers also (xx, 17) : " We will go b)' the king's highway," etc. (xxi, 22; Deut. ii, 27 ; Lev. xxvi, 22). Indeed, it is highly probable that the Hebrews had become acquainted with roads during their sojourn in Egypt, where, in the Delta especially, the nature of the coiuitry would require roads and high- ways to be thrown up and maintained. Josephus (^Ant, viii, 7, 4) ex])ressly says, " Solomon did not neglect the care of the ways, but he laid a causeway of black stone (basalt) along the roads that led to Jerusalem, both to render them easy for travellers and to manifest the grandeur of his riches." (See the ISIishna, Maccntli.) To the Romans, however, Palestine was greatly indebt- ed for its roads. On this subject Reland (^I'alo'sthia') has supjilied useful information. In the East general- ly, and in Palestine in particular, the Romans formed roads and set up mile-stones in imitation of what they held done in Italy. Eusebius, in his 0 noma st icon, fre- quently alludes to their existence in Palestine. To the present day traces of these roads and fragments of the mile-stones remain.
1. The first road in Palestine which we mention ran
ROAD
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ROAD
from Ptolemais, on the coast of the Mediterranean, to Damascus. This road remains to the present daj'. Be- ginning at Ptolemais (Acco), it ran eastward to Naza- retli, and, continuing south and east, passed the plain of Esdraelon on the north; after which, turning north and east, it came to Tiberias, where, running along the Sea of Galilee, it reached Capernaum, and, having passed the Jordan somewhat above the last place, it went over a spur of the Anti-Libanus (Jebel Heish), and, keeping straight forward east by north, came to Damascus. This road was used for the purposes both of trade and war. In the history of the Crusades it bears the name of Via Maris. It connected Europe with the interior of Asia. Troops coming from Asia over the Euphrates passed along this way into the heart of Palestine. Un- der the Romans it was a productive source of income. It was on this road, not far from Capernaum, that Jesus saw Matthew sitting "at the receipt of custom" and gave him his call to the apostleship. (See, in general, Kilter, Erdkunde, ii, 379 sq.)
2. Another road passed along the INIediterranean coast southward into Egypt. Begiiniing at Ptolemais, it ran first to Csesarea, thence to Diospolis, and so on through Ascalon and Gaza down into Egypt. (Comp. Josepluis, War, iv, 11, 5; Ant. xiv, 8, 1; Pliny, vi, 33; Arrian, Alex, iii, 1. See Appian, Cir.Y, h'l. The stations arc given as above, rather differently from Josepluis, in Antonin. Itiiier. p. 149.) This was also an im|U)rtant line of communication, passing as it did through cities of great importance, running along the coast and ex- tending to Egypt. A glance at the map will show how important it was for trade by land and by sea as well as for the passage of troops. A branch of this road con- nected the sea with the metropolis, leading from the same Cffisarea through Diospolis to Jerusalem. Down this branch Paul was sent on his way to Felix (Acts xxiii, 23, 26 ; comp. Josephus, War, iv, 8, 1 ; Jerome, Ep. 108). The band went through Autipatris, and thence on to Cffisarea.
3. A third line of road connected Galilee with Judfea, running through the intervening Samaria (Luke xvii, 11; John iv, 4; Josephus, Ani. xx, 6, 1; Life, § 52). The journey took three days. Passing along the plain of Esdraelon, tlie traveller entered Samaria at (iinrea (Jenin) and was thence conducted to Samaria (Sebaste), thence to Shechem (Nablus), whence a good day's trav- el brought him to Jerusalem. This last part of the journey (comp. Isa. x, 28 sq.) has been described by Maundrell {Journey, p. 85 sq.).