Horvat Gov (Khirbet Juk) - Monastery

Vertical tabs

Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Horvat Gov (Khirbet Juk)

Monastery name:

Monastery

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Isolated in the countryside

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

227,729.00

772,379.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

177,730.00

272,376.00

Geographical region:

Western Galilee

Bishopric:

Ptolemais

Topographical location:

At a high point in the mountains of the Upper Galilee.

Soils:

Limestone and terra rosa.

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 26 km (Acco-Ptolomais)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 15 km east of the road connecting Acco-Ptolomais with Tyre.

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Aviam	1982; 1983

Bibliograpy:

Aviam, M., 1995	47-59
Aviam, M., 2003	41-59
Aviam, M., 2004	181-204
Ashkenazi, J. and Aviam, M., 2012	269-97

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologicaly definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Three small areas were excavated in two excavation seasons. The site had been damaged a few years earlier by earthworks. The remaining walls reach a height of several courses in some places. The walls of the structure were set on the bedrock.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Upper- the large courtyard view to the south; lower- room to north of courtyard (Aviam 1995)

General description

Courtyards:

A small courtyard (3 x 2 m) was unearthed in area A of the dig, paved with stone slabs. The northern wall of the courtyard was built in the "window" technique. Rooms were uncovered to the north and to the south of the courtyard. A second, larger courtyard (7 x 5 m) was located ca. 30 m from the dwelling (area C). The courtyard's floor consisted partly of stone flags and partly of leveled bedrock. Over the stone floor, a large quantity of mosaic sections with a vegetal design and apparently the remains of an inscription were found. Three wide doorways in its northern, western and eastern walls and a fourth, particularly wide opening in its southern wall, led out of the courtyard. The courtyard was surrounded by rooms on all four sides. A staircase led to rooms at a higher level. The southeastern corner of the courtyard was preserved to a height of two meters. In the north-western corner, a round depression in the ground had a round stone basin containing a large quantity of ashes.

Churche/s:

No church structure was identified in the excavation. However, finds indicate the presence of a church. These include large fragments of chancel screen panels, a stamp for Eucharist bread and mosaic fragments that were up-side-down, perhaps explained by a second story church.

Dwellings:

Some 20 m southwest of area A, a section of dwelling was revealed but could not be excavated completely due to the collapse of an underground cavity.

Storage facilities:

To the south of the courtyard, a room (3 x 3 m) was unearthed. The floor of this room was 1.5 m lower than that of the courtyard. Benches were built around the room at the height of the threshold. Finds indicate that this room was used as a storage facility. The absence of any stairs descending into the room suggests that a wooden floor covered the space at threshold height so that the room had a double floor, the lower of which was accessed by a ladder.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

Although not excavated, a room to the west of the large courtyard contained elements belonging to an oil press- a large stone basin, a crushing basin, a fragment of a crushing stone and a stone weight.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Large storage jars; a dolium; jugs; cooking pot; two intact juglets
Stone vessels	A large basin; a half of a bread stamp of local limestone.
Metal objects	A large number of iron nails of varying sizes, the largest up to 15 cm.; iron hooks and iron rings for hanging objects
Other	A fragment of a bread stamp decorated with crosses.

Small finds illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
2,500	Large

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

Components

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
unknown			Upper floor

Number of stories:

Storage facilities – warehouses

Agricultural installations:

oil press\es [=o/p]

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

The complex seems to have had only one phase, no stratification was reported. It was dated to late fifth-early sixth century CE.

Dating material:

Based on the pottery finds, there were no earlier finds.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Late

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

General outline:

No Early Islamic pottery was found. The site was apparently abandoned in the first half of the 7th century.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

First half

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned