BEIT SHEMESH, ISRAEL—The Times of Israel reports that Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists discovered a 164-yard section of ancient Roman road during salvage excavations ahead of the installation of a water line about 20 miles west of Jerusalem. The cobbled road is thought to have connected the ancient town of Bethletepha to the highway that stretched from Jerusalem to Eleutheropolis, a city located to the south. Several coins found at the site date to the first century A.D. and suggest that the road could be older than the highway, which is thought to have been built after Emperor Hadrian’s visit to the country around A.D. 130. The road is situated near a cross-country hiking route and will be preserved for visitors. For more, go to “Slime Molds and Roman Roads.”
