Preserved Roman road in Golan found to be constructed in the late second century CE

One goal of the research was to further understand when the road was constructed and later abandoned.

By RAQUEL GUERTZENSTEIN FROHLICH DECEMBER 15, 2024 11:35

The east-west-oriented Roman road in Sussita, in the Golan Heights. (photo credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

New evidence shows that the well-preserved Roman Imperial Highway crossing the Golan was constructed in the second half of the second century CE, according to research conducted by the Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University (TAU). 

The research article, titled “Between Gaulanitis and Hippos: The Roman Road in the Southern Golan Heights in Context,” was published in Tel Aviv last month, the peer-reviewed journal of the Institute of Archeology at TAU.

One goal of the research was to further understand when the road was constructed and later abandoned. The team also studied the landscape setting of the road for the first time and its relation to other features, such as ancient settlements and field systems.

Roman roads have been documented in the northern, central, and southern Golan, the report noted, and main functions of the Roman road network related to military transportation, the safety of passersby and merchandise, the connection of military installations with supply centers and administrative hubs, and state postal service. 

This road mostly avoided ancient settlements, and the research noted that such highways were generally built for military-strategic considerations, not for connecting to rural sites. Local roads leading to local villages from the imperial road may have existed, though no remains were found. 

CLOUDS OVER a village on the Golan Heights (credit: REUTERS)

No correlation between route and Jewish communities

“We cannot exclude the possibility that in the case of the Golan, the fact that the road does not approach any of the Jewish settlements may have been deliberate, perhaps due to security concerns,” the report said. The researchers found no correlation between the road’s route and the nearby Jewish settlements, which could have also been due to topography. 

The road—which served as another east-west connection between the Mediterranean ports and inland Syria—also had milestones erected on behalf of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus in 161/2 CE “as part of a larger project of roadbuilding and maintenance, possibly in preparation for the Parthian War (163–167 CE)” the report noted.