Archaeologists in Israel Uncover Section of Ancient Roman Road

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Thursday that archaeologists had uncovered a section of a 1,800-year-old Roman road. The road section, measuring about 82 feet long and 30 feet wide, was uncovered some 16 miles west of the Sea of Galilee-coastal city of Tiberias. It was a major road, built in typical Roman fashion. The IAA said construction of the road began under the rule of Emperor Hadrian, who reigned from 117 to 138 CE, was completed by his successors, and then the road was renovated in the Byzantine era. Archaeologists unearthed pottery shards from the Roman and Byzantine periods, as well as Roman metal vessels and coins, at the site. The excavation is part of the establishment of the Sanhedrin Trail, a trail more than 40 miles long that will cross the Galilee from Beit She’arim to Tiberias, passing between sites associated with members of the Sanhedrin, the assembly of 71 elders that served as the supreme court of ancient Israel.