On Thursday, May 8, 2025, students from the Department of Land of Israel Studies at Kinneret Academic College participated in an field trip to a Roman road excavation recently discovered between the foothills of the Nazareth Mountains and the Tur’an Valley.

This segment of the Roman road was excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority during a salvage excavation led by Abdallah Mokary and Hila Haddad (the excavation results have yet to be published). Approximately 300 meters of the road’s full infrastructure were uncovered, including curbstones, a central spine, and retaining walls constructed in accordance with Roman engineering standards. The Roman road follows a southwest-northeast route, topographically situated above the known alignment of the Roman road that crossed the Tur’an and Beit Netofa valleys.

The Roman Road System in the Galilee

During the Roman period, the road system in the Galilee underwent significant changes, beginning in the 1st century CE and particularly in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. In the early 2nd century, with the establishment of the Roman road network, a major road was constructed to connect two central polis cities in the Galilee: Ptolemais (Acre) in the west and Tiberias in the east. Later, with Sepphoris’ transformation into a polis under the name Diocaesarea, additional roads were built to connect the city to others, including Ptolemais and Tiberias.

The Field Trip

The visit to the excavation site was part of the course “Introduction to Classical Archaeology”, led by Dr. Mechael Osband. The site briefing was conducted by Mr. Ofer Stein, a researcher and lecturer specializing in Roman roads and milestones in the department. During the visit, students received an overview of the Roman road system in the Galilee and engaged in hands-on research by examining the remains of the road and its surrounding environment.

Initial Findings and Conclusions

The newly discovered segment of the Roman road provides evidence of a direct route between Tiberias and Diocaesarea, which has not been fully studied before. Two known milestations are located along this road: one at the foot of Rumat al-Heib and the other near Horvat Mishkena (close to Golani Junction). Remains of the Roman road were discovered near both stations. It appears that the newly uncovered segment belongs to an unfamiliar route, distinct from the well-known Roman road that passed through the Beit Netofa Valley.