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  • From: "James Spinti" <JSpinti AT Eisenbrauns.com>
  • To: "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] The King's road
  • Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:41:36 -0500

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
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