Ḥorvat Massaḥ - Monastery (?)

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Ḥorvat Massaḥ

Monastery name:

Monastery (?)

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Isolated in the countryside

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

240,280.00

732,528.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

190,277.00

232,528.00

Geographical region:

Lower Galilee

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina II

Bishopric:

Helenopolis

Topographical location:

Level ground

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 4 km (Helenopolis)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 4 km (Helenopolis)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 12 km south of the road leading westwards from Tiberias.

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Saarisalo	1927
Tsori	1977
Gal	1990

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Syon	2011

Bibliograpy:

Saarisalo, A., 1927	54-55
Tzori, N., 1977	140
Gal, Z., 1990	53
Syon, D., 2004	10-11
Syon, D., 2011	81-89; English summary 89-90

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Uncertain / Questionable

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The site is located in the Lower Galilee, about two km east of Mt. Tavor (Mt. Tabor), on the eastern outskirts of the modern town of Kefar Tavor. The surviving parts of the complex include the floors of the structure, small parts of walls, mostly foundations and some of the doorways. The excavation revealed a well-constructed building of at least seven rooms. The complex is constructed with basalt foundations while the upper walls are of well-dressed limestone ashlars. The foundations are built of local fieldstones over which were placed courses of dressed basalt and upper courses of limestone. Based on short piers and fallen arch stones, the excavators have assessed that some of the rooms were divided into smaller spaces by arches. Some of the rooms were paved in limestone slabs while others with basalt slabs. One room was paved with a combination of both.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

General description

Enclosing walls:

The complex possessed an external wall. Its measurements were not provided.

Churche/s:

Remains of a church were not identified. A limestone colonnette fragment inscribed with a cross probably belonged to a liturgical furniture item possibly indicating the presence of a church.

Storage facilities:

Two smaller rooms were annexed on the eastern side of the complex that may have served as auxiliary rooms or storerooms.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

A crushing basin belonging to an oil press was found in the western room. The floor of the room was of compact earth and some areas of stone slabs. The floor of this particular room is 0.45 m lower than the other rooms of the complex. a small area paved in stone and enclosed by a low wall may have been an installation for storing the olives before being pressed. The two auxiliary rooms on the east of the complex are built of fieldstones and floored with packed earth. In these rooms a large quantity of mosaic tesserae were found, apparently from some industrial installation. East of this, a mosaic pavement of similar stones was found at a level two m. higher than the floor of the complex.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Byzantine
Glass	Fragments of Byzantine glass, among them wineglass stems and lamp stems, some of which are dated to the Early Islamic period
Metal objects	A small bronze clasp from a box, engraved with a cross; an iron drill bit
Other	A limestone colonnette fragment carved with a cross in relief
Coins	Four coins were found: Hellenistic, Constance II (655 C.E.), Ayyubid.

Detailed description

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Basalt

Components

Enclosing wall

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
No traces

Storage facilities – warehouses

Agricultural installations:

oil press\es [=o/p]

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

A complex consisting of at least seven rooms, suggested by the excavator to have been a communal monastery.

Dating material:

Dated to the Byzantine period based on the finds. Its Christian identification is based on a carved cross on a marble colonnette.

Phase date

Century:

Early Christian / Byzantine

General outline:

The site continued in use into the Early Islamic period. However, it is not known what function it served and the identity of the population occupying it at this period.

Dating material:

Based on some of the finds

Phase date

Century:

Unknown

Post Arab conquest history:

Still in use

Post conquest history comments:

Poor quality modifications were made in the medieval period. From the excavation it is apparent that the site was occupied in the medieval period but the capacity which it served is unknown.

Conclusions:

Although the suggestion has been made that the site was a monastery in the Byzantine period, the evidence for this is scant.