The Eastern Segment

The eastern segment of the Plain of Sharon, situated directly west of the Samarian mountains, is largely level, and is well drained rather than swampy (Karmon, “Geographical Influences,” 46). The towns mentioned in both biblical and extrabiblical sources—such as Gath-Padalla, Yaham, and Socoh—were in this eastern region (Aharoni et al., Carta Bible Atlas, 31, 35, 87). In addition, one of the most important international highways—the Way of the Sea or Via Maris—ran through this region of the Plain of Sharon. The Via Maris connected Egypt in the south to the various empires in the north, such as Assyria and Babylon.