Biblical Hebrew Forum

["James Spinti" <JSpinti AT Eisenbrauns.com>]

Nope, I was hoping Anson would cite it later, but he doesn't. Perhaps
there is an Egyptologist lurking?

James
________________________________
James Spinti
Marketing Director, Book Sales Division
Eisenbrauns, Good books for more than 30 years
Specializing in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies
jspinti at eisenbrauns dot com
Web: http://www.eisenbrauns.com
Phone: 574-269-2011 ext 226
Fax: 574-269-6788 

-----Original Message-----
From: James Christian [mailto:jc.bhebrew AT googlemail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 9:33 AM
To: James Spinti
Cc: b-hebrew
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] The King's road

Thanks, I don't have access to that book. Any ideas what the primary
source may be


2010/2/11 James Spinti <JSpinti AT eisenbrauns.com>


        Check out p. 41 in Sacred Bridge, by Anson Rainey & Stephen
Notley
        (Carta, Jerusalem). He mentions "an ancient Egyptian treatise on
roads
        in Canaan" but doesn't cite the source. See also page 123, 199,
and 328,
        ranging in date all the way into the Hasmonean times.
        
        James
        
        ________________________________
        James Spinti
        Marketing Director, Book Sales Division
        Eisenbrauns, Good books for more than 30 years
        Specializing in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies
        jspinti at eisenbrauns dot com
        Web: http://www.eisenbrauns.com
        Phone: 574-269-2011 ext 226
        Fax: 574-269-6788
        

        -----Original Message-----
        From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
        [mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of James
Christian
        
        Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 9:14 AM
        To: Yigal Levin
        Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
        Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] The King's road
        
        That was one of the follow up questions I wanted to ask. Who
does the
        King
        refer to? I've seen a map tracing the route of this road from
Egypt to
        Eilat
        on the Gulf of Aqaba and then up North through lands we
associate with
        the
        Edom, Moab and Ammon of the  day of the Moses  presented in the
Torah.
        Although, it's not entirely clear what 'evidence' these
depictions of
        the
        road are built on. If there was such a road in the day of Moses
could it
        be
        called the 'King's' road because of the importance of the
Egyptian
        empire?
        Could it have been a designated route to the King (Pharoah) or
have been
        'built' (marked out) by the Pharoah for trade routes?
        
        In terms of actual evidence what do we have? If the road was
never built
        what archeological evidence do we actually have of such a trade
route?
        Apart
        from the references in the Torah what ancient sources do we have
that
        talk
        about the road that we can get any clues from? Also, wouldn't
the clues
        in
        the Torah suggest a single road with a particular route rather
than two
        separate roads? And even if they were two different roads with a
        designation
        for public passage through a country wouldn't it make sense that
they
        connect with each other in some way?
        
        thanks
        James Christian
        
        2010/2/11 Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
        
        > Hi James,
        >
        > The term "derekh hammelekh" is a legal one, meaning "the
public road",
        as
        > opposed to private property. Exactly the same term, "harran
sharri",
        occurs
        > in Akkadian. Its two occurrences in the Bible in fact refer to
two
        > different
        > roads: in Num. 20:19 Moses is at Kadesh-barnea and wishes to
go east
        across
        > what is now called "the Negev Highlands" towards what is now
called
        the
        > Arava into Edom. In 21:22 he's already in Transjordan and
wishes to
        cross
        > the Arnon northward through the Mishor, which was ruled by
Sihon.
        >
        > At some point in the early 20th century, someone (maybe it was
Kurt
        > Galling)
        > decided that "derekh hammelekh" is the proper name of the main
        north-south
        > route on the Transjordanian plateau. The road itself is well
known
        > throughout history and is still one of the major highways of
Jordan
        today.
        > Roughly, it goes from Damascus to Der'a (Edrei) to Amman to
Madeba to
        > Hisban
        > to Diban to Bazrah Petra to Aqaba. Its specific route shifted
to
        reflect
        > changes in settlement over the ages. Remember that before the
Roman
        period,
        > roads were usually not "built" or marked, nor did they have
proper
        names.
        > Rather, they were referred to by their destination, depending
on the
        > perspective of the speaker.
        >
        > The same, by-the-way, is true for the famous "Derekh hayyam"
or "Via
        > Maris".
        > While the main route that ran parallel to the Mediterranean
coast is
        well
        > known and was very important, it did not have a single
permanent name,
        > nore,
        > BTW, did it actually lead to the sea. Isaiah 8:23 (or 9:1 in
most
        English
        > versions) does not refer to this road. However both names as
commonly
        used
        > today as if they were the ancient designations of these roads.
        >
        > By the way, I once heard a Jordanian tour guide tell his group
that
        the
        > "king's highway" is called that because it was built by King
Mesha!
        >
        >
        > Yigal Levin
        >
        >
        >
        > -----Original Message-----
        > From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
        > [mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of James
        Christian
        > Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 12:16 PM
        > To: b-hebrew
        > Subject: [b-hebrew] The King's road
        >
        > Hi,
        >
        > does anybody know what evidence we actually have for the route
of the
        > 'King's highway'? The one that Moses evidently asks permission
to use
        in
        > his
        > plans to cross through Edom (Numbers 20:19) and then also
through
        Ammon
        > (Numbers 21:22)?
        >
        > thanks,
        > James Christian
        > _______________________________________________
        > b-hebrew mailing list
        > b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
        > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
        >
        > No virus found in this incoming message.
        > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
        > Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2680 - Release
Date:
        02/10/10
        > 21:38:00
        >
        > _______________________________________________
        > b-hebrew mailing list
        > b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
        > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
        >
        _______________________________________________
        b-hebrew mailing list
        b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
        http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
        _______________________________________________
        b-hebrew mailing list
        b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
        http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew