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The existence of an ancient road linking Edom and Judea, the Edom Road (Derech Edom), is documented in the biblical text. To date the most comprehensive research on the Edom Road was carried out by B. Rothenberg and Y. Aharoni, who suggested its likely route based on archaeological sites dating to Iron Age II in the Southern Judean Desert, along th...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... this postulated reconstruction, Rothenberg and Aharoni examined the route more closely. In an arduous survey in which they encountered many difficulties, they arrived at the conclusion that the biblical Edom Road was in fact the route passing Horvat Uza, Horvat Radum, Beer Efe, Nahal Heimar and Nahal Zohar (Figure 2) (Rothenberg 1960, 27-35). ...
Context 2
... is a rim fragment from a known cooking pot type with an everted rim ( Figure 3c-1), also found at Horvat Uza (Freud 2007, 80, Fig. 3.26, 13), Tel Arad (Singer-Avitz 2002, Fig. 14, CP6), and Tel Masos ( Fritz and Kempinski 1983, Pl. 165, 5-6). The second is part of a juglet rim and handle (Figure 3c-2), similar to types from Iron Age II sites in the eastern Negev: Horvat Uza (Freud 2007, Fig. 3.27, 2, 3.41, 13), Horvat Radum (Freud 2007, Fig 16.4, 18), and Tel Arad (Singer-Avitz 2002, Fig. 21, JD1). However, since the entire shape of the juglet is unknown it is difficult to identify the precise type. ...
Citations
The Negev Highlands, unlike the coastal road, the Darb Ghaza or even the Wadi Arabah, is a difficult, unnatural trade corridor. Traversing it is bleak and uninviting and indeed, for long periods, it was off the beaten track of main south Levantine trade routes.The copper and incense trade altered this situation, albeit not for all periods. If the destination of the mined copper was Be’er Sheva or ports of call in the north, there was no need to cross the Negev Highlands except on its most northeastern flank, the Scorpions’ Ascent. However, if the destination was Egypt (in the EB IB and Iron Age) crossing the Negev Highlands was more tempting and even necessary.During the approximately 1500 years of the incense trade, the Gaza Port was apparently a major terminus. Yet when the main stations in the Edomite territory were Tell el-Kheleifeh, Busseira and ‘Ein Ḥusub, those who plied this route preferred to bypass the heart of the Negev Highlands by traveling either via the Darb Ghaza, coming from Tell el-Kheleifeh, or via the Scorpions’ or Amiaz Ascents.Only when Petra became the Nabatean hub and subsequently its capital, did the incense trade routes between Petra and Gaza cross the Negev Highlands directly.KeywordsNegevCopper routeIncense routeAncient roadsLong distance tradeDonkey caravansPeutinger map
