Vertical tabsMonastery name, type, categorySite Name: ʻAcraba; ʻAqrabaIdentification: Suggested to be identified with two Monophysite monasteries known to have been located in the area in the sixth century CE.Monastery name: Monophysite monasteryMonastery type: CenobiumMonastery category: Village LocationCoordinates, ITM system: 23,230.0067,040.00 Coordinates, ICS system: 18,230.0012,040.00 Geographical region: Samaria Desert FringesProvincial affiliation: Palaestina IBishopric: NeapolisTopographical location: Level groundDistance from nearest bishop-seat: ca. 16 km (Shechem-Neapolis)Distance from Roman roads: ca. 6 km south of the road leading from Shechem-Neapolis eastwards to the Jordan River valley. Source of knowledgeLiterary sourcesEpigraphyArchaeological remainsSurveyed siteSurveyors: NameDate Robinson and Smith 1857 Conder and Kitchener1871-1877 Guérin 1874-75 Clermont-Ganneau 1896-99 Finkelstein, Lederman and Bunimovitz 1981-1985 Bibliograpy: Robinson, E. and Smith. E., 1857296-297 Guérin, V., 1875 Clermont-Ganneau, C., 1896-1899 Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1882 Thomsen, P., 1907 Abel, F. M., 1938 Avi-Yonah, M., 1976 Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994 Finkelstein, I., Bunimvitz, S. and Lederman, Z., 1997 Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012 Abbreviation for Journals and SeriesState of certainty: Literarily definitive General descriptionState of preservation/which parts were uncovered: Two Monophysite monasteries are known to have existed in or around the village of ‘Acraba in the sixth century CE. The only remains, a doorpost and a lintel (1.7 x 0.7 m) adorned with a rosette, a cross and a dedicatory inscription, column bases and a Corinthian capital, are in secondary use in the village mosque. According to local tradition, the mosque was built over the remains of a church. Illustrative material: Illustrative_material Photos Small finds Detailed descriptionComponentsMonastery church: Church typeDiakonikonLink to church sectionChurch location unknown Architectural evolutionPhase 1 Abandonment General outline: Probably late fifth or early sixth century CE. Dating material: Literary. Phase dateCentury: 5th-6th c. General outline: No archaeological information exists concerning the abandonment/destruction of the monasteries. Possibly 7th-8th c. Phase dateCentury: 7th-8th c.
