An inscription dating back to about 236 CE was deciphered by a team of researchers from the University of Haifa, the university’s spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.
The inscription was found on a milestone in the area of Sussita, east of the Sea of Galilee. It features the name of Roman emperor Maximinus Thrax, who ruled between 238 and 235 CE.
The inscription was the first one that the researchers could identify on the milestones on the road connecting Sussita to Banias in the Golan Heights.
"Since the road itself was built in a much earlier period, the name of the emperor is apparently indicative of the extensive renovations that took place during his rule, when the Roman Empire was in decline and this type of renovation works were rarer,” said Dr. Michael Eisenberg from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, who heads the excavations at Sussita.