Vertical tabsMonastery name, type, categorySite Name: Beer ShebaMonastery name: Monastery (?)Monastery type: CenobiumMonastery category: VillageSource of sacredness: Sacred Objects LocationCoordinates, ITM system: 180,311.00572,474.00 Coordinates, ICS system: 13,068.0072,545.00 Geographical region: Beer Sheba ValleyProvincial affiliation: Palaestina IBishopric: Saltus GerariticusTopographical location: level groundSoils: LoesDistance from nearest settlement: ca. 0.5 km (Birosaba)Distance from Roman roads: ca. 0.5 km from the juction of two roads, one connecting Gaza with the Dead Sea, the other Hebron with Elusa. Source of knowledgeArchaeological remainsExcavated siteExcavators: NameDate Israeli1967 Bibliograpy: Israeli, Y., 19675 Israeli, Y., 196729 Biran, A., 196844-45 Israeli, Y, 1968415-416 Ovadiah, A. and De Silva, C. G., 1981207-208 Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994 Figueras, P., 1995401-450 Schick, R., 1995259 Bagatti, B., 2002 Abbreviation for Journals and SeriesState of certainty: Uncertain / Questionable General descriptionState of preservation/which parts were uncovered: A basilica and a complex of rooms were excavated. Today, no remains are extant. General descriptionCourtyards: The church was fronted by an atrium. Churche/s: A triapsidal basilica (24 x 15 m). The floor was paved with stone flags, some remaining in situ. Fragments of colored plaster attest to frescoes on the walls. The church showed two phases with the second floor raised 0.60 m above the first and paved in opus sectile. Dwellings: A row of rooms was located south of the church. Refectory: A room south of the church was decorated with elaborate wall mosaics, with glass tesserae in green, blue, yellow and red. Measurements were not provided by the excavator. It might be suggested that this was a refectory, based on many fragments of glass and pottery found on its floor. Burials: Between the two floors of the church, a row of tombs contained several burials each. One tomb contained a single burial of a child. The tombs were hewn and lined with stone panels. Small findsSmall finds: CategoryDescription PotteryByzantine GlassFragments CoinsUmayyad Comments, discussion and summary: The complex excavated in Beer Sheva (and no longer extant) strongly suggests a monastery although there is no certainty, as the description of the excavation is lacking in detail. The elaborate wall mosaic indicates a fairly wealthy establishment. Detailed descriptionComponentsCourtyard/sMonastery church: Church typeDiakonikonLink to church sectionChurch location basilicalGround floor RefectoryTombs type: Cist tombPainted plaster Architectural evolutionPhase 1 Phase 2 Abandonment General outline: A complex consisting of a basilica, courtyard and adjacent rooms.Phase dateCentury: Early Christian / Byzantine General outline: The complex continued to exist in the Early Islamic period. Changes were made in the church, its floor being raised 0.60 m.Dating material: Umayyad coins Phase dateCentury: 7th-8th c. Phase dateCentury: Unknown Post Arab conquest history: Still in usePost conquest history comments: The settlement apparently continued to exist after the Arab conquest as testified by Umayyad coins but it is not clear when it was finally abandoned.
