This project developed and applied Historical GIS (HGIS) methodologies to reconstruct, analyze, and evaluate long-distance transportation networks in the Negev Desert from antiquity to the twentieth century. By integrating historical maps, archaeological evidence, and GIS-based spatial analysis, the research investigated the evolution, continuity, and transformation of desert route systems over nearly two millennia.

The project focused on two complementary case studies: the reconstruction of the Nabataean–Roman Incense Road between Petra and Gaza, and the analysis of twentieth-century transportation networks in the Negev based on early British military maps. Together, these studies demonstrated the value of Historical GIS for understanding the long-term development of transportation corridors and their role in shaping human mobility and regional landscapes.

The research is funded by the Rothschild Fellows and Minerva Stiftung postdoctoral fellowships