Way of the Patriarchs

Way of the Patriarchs (blue) with Via Maris (purple) and King's Highway (red)

The Road of the Patriarchs or Way of the Patriarchs (Hebrew: דֶּרֶךְ הֲאָבוֹת Derech haʾAvot Lit. Way (of) the Fathers) is an ancient north–south route traversing the land of Israel and the region of Palestine.[1] The modern Highway 60 (Israel-Palestine) follows roughly the route of the Way of the Patriarchs.[2][3] The name is used by biblical scholars because of mentions in biblical narratives that it was frequently travelled by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.[4]

It is also called the Hill Road or the Ridge Route[2] because it follows the watershed ridge line of the Samarian and Judaean Mountains. It runs from Megiddo and Hazor south to Beersheba by way of Shechem,[5] Bethel, Jerusalem, Ephrath and Hebron. Unlike the Via Maris and the King's Highway which were international roads crossing the territories of many peoples, the Ridge Route was wholly within the territory of ancient Israel.[citation needed]

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