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The
Via Maris....
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Is an ancient trading route dating from the
Early Bronze
Age which linked Egypt with the northern empires of
Syria, Anatolia and
Mesopotamia - modern day Iran,
Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
Its earlier name was "Way of the Philistines", a reference to the Way
passing through the Philistine Plain. At this point the Way branches into
two Ways - one along the Mediterranean coast, through
Megiddo, and the other
following an inland route through the Jezreel Valley, the
Sea of Galilee and
Dan.
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The Via Maris was crossed by other trading routes, so
that one could travel from Africa to Europe or from Asia to Africa.
"Via Maris" is Latin and means the Way of the Sea.
The name is based on a passage from the Vulgate, the
New Testament in Latin
translation. From the Gospel according to
Matthew ("Secundum Mattheum"),
chapter 4 verse 15:terra Zabulon et terra Nephthalim via maris trans
Iordanen Galilaeae gentium(the land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim,
by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles)
There is also a reference to the Via Maris in Isaiah 9 verse 1. |
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The rugged mountain ranges cutting through the middle of
Israel made it incredibly difficult to travel east to west and transport
goods. Civilizations such as Egypt,
Babylon, and Assyria however, depended
on trade to exchange and acquire necessary goods. Whoever controlled the
road between these empires dominated international trade and had a
tremendous influence on other cultures. |
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Three cities along the Via Maris were especially
important because they stood at strategic points. Hazor guarded a narrow
section of the road in the Rift Valley. Gezer stood where the road jogged
inland to avoid swampy areas and also connected the Via Maris to an
east-west road that led to Jericho. And
Megiddo—the most important city of
the ancient world—guarded the crucial mountain pass through
Mount Carmel. |
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