Street
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Gen. 19:2)—streets in ancient Near Eastern towns varied greatly, though many ordinary lanes were narrow, unpaved, and crowded. Larger cities also possessed broad ways, gates, squares, and market streets. Individual streets could bear names, as did the Straight Street in Damascus (Acts 9:11). Gates and public squares served as places of judgment, trade, conversation, and news; the poor and travelers might also spend time or sleep in open public spaces.