Ancient road may link to Jesus’ crucifixion site

Archaeologists in Jerusalem, Israel, uncovered an ancient paved road beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that could have been part of the route to Calvary, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.

Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla of the University of Rome Sapienza led the excavations, which revealed a roughly 3 by 3.6 meter section of the road with a wide, shallow step and larger stones along its edges.

The road slopes southwest and dates to an early Roman period, potentially existing during Jesus’ lifetime and before the city’s reconstruction under Emperor Hadrian in the second century. Researchers believe the road may have led to an area used for public executions, as Roman crucifixions were public events. However, they have not yet identified a specific execution site in Jerusalem, despite historical accounts of mass crucifixions near the city.

The team also considered the possibility the road served later construction efforts, but its steep incline would have made transporting heavy materials difficult. The discovery of this road joins other findings from excavations begun in May 2022, including remnants of an ancient garden beneath the church. The Gospel of John mentions a garden near the site of the crucifixion, with a new tomb, and the archaeological team dated these garden remnants to the period surrounding Jesus’ death.

While these findings do not definitively confirm the biblical garden’s location, they add to the ongoing debate about the location of Jesus’ tomb and the path he took before his crucifixion.