Via Maris
The Via Maris ( Latin for "sea route", "sea road") is the most important artery of antiquity , which linked the great powers of antiquity ; initially Egypt with Mesopotamia , later also with Greece and Rome .
From the Nile Delta the route led over the Israeli coastal plain, crossed the southern Carmel Mountains through the pass of the Iron Valley, then led through the Jezreel plain and over the Golan Heights to Damascus . Important stops along the road included Gaza , Ashkelon , Ashdod , the Antipatris fortress at the sources of Jarkon , Megiddo and Hazor .
The street was named "Via Maris" under Roman rule. Like all paths in antiquity, the Via Maris was named after its destination (and not after its route). For the Romans, it was the road that led from the important route junction in Damascus to the Mediterranean . It is possible that the road from Egypt or Philistine road mentioned in the Bible is also Via Maris. During the Crusades , the road was considered a strategic way of the cross .
literature
- Dieter Vieweger: Archeology of the Biblical World. Gütersloh 2012, ISBN 9783579081311 , pp. 84–85.