Ma'ale Adumim; Kh. Murassas - MARTYRIUS

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Ma'ale Adumim; Kh. Murassas

Identification:

Identified with certainty as the monastery of Martyrius mentioned by Cyril of Scythopolis (V. Euth. 46, 50; V. Theod. 239).

Monastery name:

MARTYRIUS

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Para Urban

Desert

Pilgrims

Former fortress

Source of sacredness:

Founder's Tomb

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

22,840.00

63,180.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

17,840.00

131,180.00

Geographical region:

Judean Desert

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

On a hilltop overlooking the Jericho-Jerusalem road.

Soils:

Rocky limestone

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 6 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from Roman roads:

1 km south of the road connecting Jerusalem with Jericho.

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	Martyrius finds a cave where he lives in seclusion and later establishes a monastery, ca. AD 465.
2	Saracens set up camps and build a church near the monastery of Abba Martyrius, ca. AD 502-505.
3	The monk Paul from the monastery of Abba Martyrius is cleansed at the tomb of Euthymius, ca. AD 544.
4	After Sabas' death, AD 532, Origenism spreads in the monastery of Martyrius.
5	Abbot Paul of the monastery of Abba Martyrius is appointed second in command to the archimandrite Theodosius, AD 492.

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Tombstone of Paul, at the centre of the square hall adjoining the church.
2	Fragmentary building inscription, in the mosaic pavement in front of the bema.
3	Fragmentary inscription In the mosaic pavement at the opening of the apse in the chapel adjoining the church on the south.
4	Dedicatory inscription, inscribed on a chancel screen fragment found in the vicinity of the church.
5	Mosaic inscription above the burial cave, in the north wing of the monastery.
6	Dated building inscription, in the mosaic pavement in the eastern end of the refectory.
7	Invocation, in the mosaic pavement in the southeast wing of the monastery.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Tobler	1854
Conder and Kitchener	1871-1877
Marti	1880
Van Kasteren	1890
Magen and Finkelstein	1993

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Magen	1981-1985

History:

The monastery was founded by Martyrius, a Cappadocian, around 465 CE after he had left the Laura of Euthymius. The monastery may have been damaged in the Persian occupation but it was not destroyed. It was probably abandoned due to the Arab conquest, after which it was converted into a farm. The site was surveyed several times and a thorough excavation uncovered the monastery in its entirety.

Bibliograpy:

Tobler, T., 1854	753-65
Marti, K., 1880	28-29
Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1883	121-22
van Kasteren, J. P., 1890	84-90
Ovadiah, A., 1970	113-14
Magen, Y. and Hizmi, H., 1985	62-69
Di Segni, L., 1990	153-63
Hirschfeld, Y., 1990	20-22
Magen, Y. and Talgam, R., 1990	91-152
Hirschfeld, Y., 1992	42-45
Magen, Y., 1993	170-96
Magen, Y., 1993
Magen, Y. and Finkelstein, I., 1993
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	190
Magen, Y., 1995	38-50
Damati, E., 2002	438-43
Di Segni, L., 2005	111-12
Voltaggio, M., 2011	197-210
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	53-57
Magen, Y., 2015

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologically and Literarily definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The entire monastery was excavated. The state of preservation is excellent with many walls still standing to a height of several courses and a substantial number of intact mosaic pavements. Many architectural elements and small finds were retrieved.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Aerial view of the site looking south (Magen 1993: 171).

Genral view of the church complex (Magen and Talgam 1990: 98, Fig. 10).

Ma'ale Adumim- View of the refectory (Magen and Talgam 1990: Pl. X).

Figures

Martyrius- the monastery and its gardens (Damati 2002: 439, fig. 1)

Martyrius- plan of the monastery (Magen 2015: 36, Fig. 26).

Martyrius- reconstruction of the main gate and its rolling stone (Magen 2015: 41, Fig. 33).

Martyrius- reconstruction of the main church complex (Magen 2015: 55, Fig. 55).

Martyrius- reconstruction of the southwestern wing (Magen 2015: 113, Fig. 135)

Martyrius- plan of the refectory and kitchen area (Magen 2015: 146, Fig. 170).

Martyrius- section and reconstruction of refectory and kitchen (Magen 2015: 147, Figs. 171, 172

Martyrius- section of the great reservoir in the southwestern wing (Magen 2015: 114, Fig.136).

Martyrius- plan of the pilgrims' hospice (Magen 2015: 204, Fig. 238).

Martyrius- reconstruction of the pilgrims' hospice (Magen 2015: 205, Fig. 239).

Martyrius- plan of the eastern garden (Damati 2002: 440, Fig. 3).

Legend to parts of the monastery- phase IIB

Legend to parts of the monastery- phase IIA.

General description

Enclosing walls:

The complex is entirely surrounded by a high wall built of large ashlars, which also separates it from the hospice. It is quadrangular. The perimeter walls (70.6 [E] x 97 [N] x 77.4 [S] x 65.4 [W] m) were probably 4-5 m high (1-2 m still standing). The walls originally belonged to the Late Roman fort into which the monastery was built. In its early phase (IIA) the monastery covered less than half the area of the Late Roman fort. Sections of the northern and eastern wall of the fort formed the northern and eastern parts of the monastery's enclosing wall, while inner walls were constructed in its west and south.

Gate/s:

Two gates originally existed in the eastern wall. The southern (1), belonging to the Late Roman fort, was blocked in the later monastic stage, leaving only the northern gate (2) as the single entrance to the monastery. A rolling stone protected the entrance on the inside. Originally it locked the gate of phase IIA monastery (4), located in its southern wall. It was transferred to the eastern gate in phase IIB. A stone paved passageway with stone benches is located within the phase IIB gate. A room that served the gate-keeper opened to the passageway. Another gate (3), originally belonging to the Late Roman fort, existed in the southern wall. Magen suggests that in the early monastic phase (IIA), the monastery had a double gate system on the south, i.e. the outer gate of the Roman compound (3) in which the monastery was first installed, and the southern gate of the monastery with its rolling stone. In the second monastic stage the southern gate of the fort was blocked and the southern gate of the early monastery was also abolished.

Courtyards:

The monastery had several courtyards. 1. A large, main courtyard (28.7 x 23 m) is located in the center of the monastery to the west of the church complex (5), reached via the passageway from the gate. This courtyard dates to the Roman fort phase but underwent major changes in the monastic phases. The courtyard floor consists mainly of leveled bedrock, which was paved with stone slabs. Some of them are still preserved in the corners and the periphery. Differences in the stone paving indicate the various construction phases of the courtyard. In the Late Roman phase, the courtyard was paved with finely fitted stone slabs. This pavement probably continued in use in the early monastic phase (IIA). In the second monastic phase, the original paving stones were removed in order to pave the stables and other parts of the monastery. Some of the remaining stones may have been removed in the Early Islamic period (phase III). 2. A large, inner courtyard (12.5 x 8.5 m) is located in the southeastern wing (7), adjoining the early complex's (IIA) southern wall. It had two construction phases, one of which belonged to the second monastic phase. 3. A large courtyard (22 x 14 m) was located in the southwestern wing (8), over the cistern (38). It was paved in white mosaic. 4. Other, smaller courtyards (9), are located in various parts of the complex, including a medium sized courtyard (15.5 x 6.5 m) located past the passage at the entrance to the monastery from which the stables were accessed, and leading inwards. A staircase (22), located in this courtyard, led to a second story.

Churche/s:

The monastery had several churches:

1. The main church of the monastery (10) was established in phase IIA and expanded in phase IIB. It consisted of three main parts: a martyrium (8.4 x 8.2 m) located to its north (39), a narthex and a prayer hall. The martyrium is paved in several mosaic carpets and could be entered via two entrances, one leading from the passageway at the entrance to the monastery, the other from the main courtyard. The martyrium served as the burial place of the monastery's abbots (see Burial section) and may have functioned as the narthex of phase IIA church. The narthex (6.6 x 4.2 m) is located south of the martyrium. This had been part of the prayer hall of the early phase. The prayer hall (25.8 x 6.6 m) belongs entirely to the later phase. It consists of an elongated hall constructed over the early church. The hall had five entrances. It was paved in a polychrome mosaic that is in a poor state of preservation. A mosaic inscription in the eastern end of the hall, mentions Genesius, archimandrite, who was responsible for the construction of the second phase of the monastery. The apse is 5.4 m wide and 3.2 m deep. A diakonikon (14.5 x 4.7 m) is located south of the main prayer hall (11). Its floor is some 0.3 m lower than that of the prayer hall and consists of two distinct phases with two mosaic pavements superimposed over each other. Based on a fragmentary inscription found in the upper mosaic pavement it has been suggested that this chapel may have been dedicated to Martyrius, the founder of the monastery (Di Segni 1990: 155-156, inscr. no. 3).

2. A chapel (6.7 x 4.8 m), named after three priests (mentioned also in the burial cave in the north wing of the monastery), is located at the west end of the monastery's southeastern wing (12). The chapel's roof was supported by two arches. It is paved with a well-preserved colorful mosaic containing an inscription in Greek within a tabula ansata, mentioning three priests. It was erected within an earlier (phase I) structure. A small apse was incorporated into the eastern wall of the chapel, over the mosaic, at a later stage, and a new entrance from the north was installed. An altar table base was found in situ.

3. A chapel (12.8 x 4.8 m) was built in the southwestern wing (13). It was constructed by joining two rooms of the Late Roman phase and roofed with a timber and tile roof. The chapel consisted of an apse with an elevated bema and a hall separated by a limestone chancel screen. The bema was paved with stone slabs and the prayer hall with a white mosaic.

4. A chapel (10.6 x 2.7 m) is located north of the portico of the north central wing (14). Its plastered apse is preserved to a height of three courses. The chapel is paved in mosaic and the apse with stone slabs. The chapel had one entrance on its northern wall, viz-a-viz the residential area and a second entrance in its southern wall, accessed from the portico.

5. A chapel and an adjoining hall (11 x 8.3 m) were located in the hostel for the use of guests and pilgrims (15). The chapel was divided to two parts by arches and different mosaic carpets. The southern part is paved with a colorful mosaic, similar to the mosaic of the refectory of the monastery. A simpler mosaic pattern adorns the northern part. The hall exhibits two building phases, only the second of which (IIB) served as a chapel by the construction of an apse and a bema and paving the room with mosaics.

Dwellings:

In the eastern wing of the monastery, south of the church, a mosaic paved corridor separated the main church complex from a row of three rooms that had apparently served as monastic cells (16). These were already in use in the early phase (IIA) and had undergone changes. The cells were accessed via the corridor (17). Four additional monastic cells belonging to the second monastic phase (IIB) are located next to the southern entrance of the narthex, adjoining the southern wall of the wing (18). One of the cells, measuring 2.75 x 2.05 m, contained an installation built of stone slabs. The cells had no thresholds or doorposts. Four steps of a stairway that lead up to a second story were also preserved there (22). In the central north wing, a second residential complex was found (19). The complex consisted of vestibules and several rooms. As in the southwestern residential complex, the rooms (except one) were without doorposts. Most of the remains are dated to the later monastic phase. A room containing a constructed and plastered sleeping bench inscribed with a cross, is located in the passage leading from the monastery gate into the main courtyard. Based on its location, this may have served the monk in charge of the stables.

Refectory:

The refectory complex is located in the northwestern corner of the monastery. It measures 31 x 25 m and consists of a basilical hall (20), a vestibule (21) and a kitchen (28) with a second story. The refectory was entered through an anteroom/vestibule on its eastern side (21), which was reached via a passageway/portico (42) leading from the church complex. The entrance and the vestibule are paved with mosaics that are well preserved. The refectory hall (26.5 x 12 m) is divided into a nave and two aisles separated by two rows of seven columns. Most of the column bases have been preserved in situ. The walls were plastered and decorated with inscriptions in red paint and frescoes in red, orange, yellow and green. The floor is paved in elaborate, well preserved mosaics. The hall was lined with benches coated with a double layer of grey-reddish plaster. A second entrance to the hall was at its western end, via a passage (6.7 x 1.8 m) also paved in a mosaic (23). The refectory complex was built in the second monastic phase (IIB), in the time of abbot Genesius (mid-sixth century CE), as is attested by a Greek inscription in the mosaic pavement at the eastern entrance.

Latrine/s:

A hall, at first suggested to have been a lavatory is located in the service wing, near the stables (25). This suggestion was later withdrawn by Magen based on its being at variance with latrines found elsewhere. It is a long and narrow room, paved in stone, with an open channel beside one of the walls, to the right of the entrance. Magen later suggested that the room may have served some purpose connected with the livestock of the monastery.

Burials:

In the center of the north wing, beneath the portico connecting the church complex with the refectory, there is a burial cave (26). A Greek inscription, incorporated into an earlier mosaic of the portico, identifies this as the tomb of three priests (George, John and Elpidius and others, not named). Since this burial cave is the only one found at the site, the excavator surmised that this was the cave in which Martyrius was buried. Since only a small number of interments were found therein, the excavator opined that the main burial site for the common monks was outside the monastery. The burial cave had originally been a semi-vault, dated to the Late Roman phase, becoming a burial place in the first monastic phase (IIA). It continued to serve as such in the second monastic phase (IIB), when the inscription was installed. Entrance to the cave was from the northern residential area. The cave walls were coated in white, non-hydraulic plaster and a set of stairs led down. Only the lower ones are still extant, but the imprint of others is clearly recognized in the plaster of the wall farther up. The remains of several skeletons were found in the cave, some of them of infants that were attributed to a later stage, after the monastery had been abandoned. The burial place of the abbots was designated as a martyrium (39). It formed part of the main church complex, described above (see church section). The hall, which is eight meters long, was decorated with frescoes. Plastered benches were built along three sides. A burial crypt for the monastery abbots was hewn in the martyrium floor, in its southeastern part, and a tombstone was laid over its entrance. The tombstone, of finely worked red stone, is inscribed with the name of Abbot Paul and dated to the late fifth or early sixth century CE (Di Segni 1990: 153, inscr. no. 1). Remains of 10 skeletons, laid one on top of another, were found in the crypt.

Storage facilities:

Beneath the lane located south of the kitchen (6), a rock-cut cellar (24) measuring 14 x 2.5 x 2 m was entered by ladder through an opening in the pavement of the lane. The cellar had a vaulted roof at its western end while its eastern end was bedrock. It was probably used for storing food and wine. A warehouse (20 x 7 m) was located in the southeastern wing of the monastery (27). A row of six square piers supported the ceiling. The floor is of beaten earth, although it might have been initially paved with stone slabs. A similar structure with a row of piers extended farther west. According to Magen its southern part was roofed while its northern part was open to the sky.

Cave/s:

A cave was found in the center of the north wing (see burials).

Kitchen:

A kitchen (28) measuring 20.7 x 6 m, forming part of the refectory complex, was located south of the dining hall. Its ceiling was supported by seven arches, the voussoirs of which were found fallen on the floor. Their piers were attached to the northern and southern walls. The floor was paved in a white mosaic floor with a colorful carpet incorporated in it, facing the entrance. Food was served from the northwest corner. A large marble table, which apparently rested on a wooden frame, was found near the opening, facing the refectory. A small storage installation, coated in white plaster, was found in the center of the eastern wall. An intact jug was found in it. Two more installations coated with white plaster were found, both adjoining the southern wall of the kitchen. Two shallow depressions, partially rock cut and partially constructed, found near a grinding installation (see below) may have served the kitchen as well. Some other square installations were found in the lane (6). Their proximity to the kitchen suggests their use for cooking or other uses connected with the kitchen. Collapsed remains of colorful mosaics belonged to an upper floor. This second story was apparently divided into rooms, as is attested by a threshold found in the debris. A staircase leading up to the second story was not discovered. Many vessels from the second story were also found in the debris.

Baking oven:

The excavators of the site have suggested that the praefurnium of the Late Roman fort's bathhouse (29) might have been converted to serve as the baking oven of the monastery. Its location near the kitchen supports this but no finds substantiate the suggestion. Nearby, in the courtyard east of the Late Roman bathhouse, a circle of grooves carved into the rock (30) and partially covered by Early Islamic walls may have served during the monastic phases as a mill for grinding grain (the grooves were to prevent the animal powering the mill from slipping on the rock). Remains of an oven were found southwest of the installation (31). The oven is round, 1 m in diameter and constructed of brick. The oven's small size probably excludes the possibility of its use as a bakery for the entire monastery.

Hostelry:

The hostelry (43 x 28 m) is located outside the northeastern corner of the monastery and had a separate entrance. It consists of eight long and narrow guest rooms (32), a chapel (15) and stables (37). Separate entrances were provided for people and for the livestock. A courtyard at the entrance (9) contains troughs. Two halls, accessed through the chapel, are located east of it, their function is not clear. It is estimated that the hospice could accommodate 60-70 guests, assuming that it did not have a second story. Based on archaeological and artistic considerations, the construction of the hospice was ascribed to the last construction phase, parallel with the refectory (phase IIB).

Stable:

A cluster of three stables was located by the main gate of the monastery:

1. A large stable (18 x 9 m) is located near the northern gate in the eastern wall (33). A staircase by the door led to its roof (22). The floor was stone-paved and the stable could be closed with a wooden door. A channel drained away animal waste and the water used to wash the floor. Along the walls were well-built mangers with iron rings, still in situ, for tethering the animals. Remains of six stone piers that supported six stone arches retained the roof.

2. A second stable (6.7 x 6.5 m) was located to the west of the one above (34). This stable had high mangers (for camels?).

3. A third, smaller stable (43) was found west of the two mentioned above. This stable may have gone out of use in the later monastic phase.

Other stables:

4. A stable (9.7 x 5.5 m) was unearthed near the blocked southern gate of the eastern wall (35). Its roof was supported by arches borne on piers and it was paved with dressed stone slabs, probably dating to the Late Roman fort. Mangers lined three of the walls.

5. A set of stables was located in the central northern wing, near the residential area (36). These stables are smaller than the ones in the northeastern wing. They were paved with stone slabs in secondary use and the mangers were constructed along the walls.

6. Stables were also constructed in the hospice complex (37), to house the pack animals of the pilgrims. There was a complete separation between the stables and the other parts of the hospice. The entrance to the stable is in the west. The stables consisted of four spaces. The inner room (18 x 3.6 m) is paved with well-fitting flagstones and has a row of well-constructed mangers along its western wall. Feeding troughs were also located just inside the eastern gate and in the southeastern wing, near the southern gate (blocked in a later phase).

Water installations:

It is estimated that 20 to 30 thousand cubic meters of water could be stored in the cisterns of the monastery. An elaborate system collected water from the roofs, courtyards and areas outside the monastery. The system was so designed that as one reservoir filled, the overflow was directed to the next, thereby collecting every drop of water. A large cistern (38), measuring 18.2 x 10.7 m; 9.4 m deep; 3,080 m³ in capacity, was located beneath the courtyard of the southwestern wing (8). A row of piers supported the arches that held up the ceiling. The roof of the cistern formed the courtyard, paved with a white mosaic. (During the Late Roman phase of the site the cistern served as an open pool). An inscribed cross was found on one of the stones in the eastern wall of the cistern. A channel led to the cistern from a rock plateau located west of the monastery. The cistern continued to be used up to the modern era by the local Bedouin. In plan and construction, the cistern is similar to the one constructed at the monastery of Euthymius, outside its walls. A cistern (44) is located beneath the corridor in the southeastern residential area (17). It was in use in phases I and IIA but its use in phase IIB is not clear. A third cistern (44) is located at the eastern end of the central courtyard, west of the main church. The three gardens of the monastery (see Garden section) were irrigated by an elaborate water conservation and irrigation system that collected water from the surrounding terrain and stored it in individual cisterns of the three gardens. The volume of water stored in the garden's cisterns was: 2000 m³ in the upper garden; 15,000 m³ in the southern garden; 1500 m³ in the eastern garden. The water was distributed to the garden beds via a system of channels.

Garden:

Three terraced gardens were found in the area surrounding the monastery. A sophisticated irrigation system was constructed in each, comprising a collection system of runoff rain water, a cistern, a pool to raise the level of the water and a network of channels to distribute the water to the garden beds with a minimal loss of water. The upper garden, with an area of 2500 m², adjoins the southeastern corner of the monastery. It extends over two levels. The southern garden, the largest (7500 m²), is located in a ravine south of the monastery. The garden soil is dark-red (hamra), obviously brought in especially from afar. The eastern garden (1000 m2), is about 300 m east of the monastery, at the head of a small ravine. This garden is the best preserved and was surrounded by a massive stone wall. It extends over three terraces. Each of the terraces had its own irrigation pool. The pools were supplied from a cistern that in turn was fed by two aqueducts that brought runoff water from the ridge. Here too, red hamra earth was brought in. A structure found near the cistern probably served as a storage room.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

A round kiln (41) was located west of the monastic cells south of the church. The excavators could not determine whether this belonged to the second monastic phase (IIB) or was installed in the Early Islamic period (III).

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Inscription - see under epigraphy
Pottery	Hundreds of pottery vessels were found in the kitchen: pithos-type storage jars, jugs, juglets, platters, plates, cups, cooking pots, lamps, a bowl incised with three figures (possibly Jesus and two of his disciples).
Metal objects	A large number of copper vessels, two bronze jugs, a chain with a cross and an animal foot which was part of a vessel base, a clasp for lamp wicks and two hand shields for carrying torches. An artifact in the shape of a griffin carrying an incense holder.
Other	Marble tables from the dining hall
Stone vessels	A platter made of black stone with 8 round depressions and two sun dials; grinding stones
Coins	Five coins were found in a jar in a monastic cell. All the coins were dated to late sixth-early seventh centuries, prior to the Persian occupation.
Bones
Other	Egg-shells

Small finds illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
10,000	Large

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

timber

stone

Components

Enclosing wall

Gate/s:

Rolling stone:

at gate

Number of rolling stone:

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Church location
single nave	Diakonikon	Ground floor
single nave		Ground floor
single nave		Ground floor
single nave		Ground floor
single nave		Ground floor
other		Ground floor

Baptismal font

Refectory

Dwelling type:

cells

Number of stories:

Latrines

Storage facilities – warehouses

Storage caves

Kitchen

Baking oven

Stable

Hostelry

Tombs type:

Burial chamber

Garden

Agricultural installations:

Terraces [=t]

Water installations:

Cisterns

Channels

Gutters

Water capacity (minimal) (cubic m):

20.000

Painted plaster

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

Phase name (as published):

Phase IIA

General outline:

In 465 CE, Martyrius established the monastery in a large Late Roman fort (Phase I). The monastery occupied only the northeastern part of the fort, less than half of its size; the south and west wings were left outside the monastery. A gate with a rolling stone was installed in the southern wall of the monastery. A small church was built in the east wing and rooms constructed around it.

Dating material:

This phase is ascribed to the time of Martyrius i.e. the second half of the fifth century (ca. 465 CE), based on literary sources and on the style of the mosaic pavement in the Main Church complex.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Second half

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

Phase name (as published):

Phase IIB

General outline:

In this phase the monastery reached its greatest size, extending over the entire area of the former Late Roman fort (of Phase I). A new gate was constructed in the eastern wall and the rolling stone was transferred there. Stables were built, the church of phase IIA was expanded and a diakonikon chapel was added to its south. Two chapels were built in the southern wing; the large cistern, where an open pool from phase I stood, was added to other cisterns that remained in use from the earlier phases. The elaborate refectory and kitchen were constructed as well and another chapel and some monastic cells were built in the north wing, making use of earlier structures. The pilgrims' hospice was constructed outside the monastery precinct.

Dating material:

This major construction phase is dated to the time of abbot Genesius, in the second half of the sixth century CE. The dating is based on dated inscriptions, architectural analysis of the remains, and their stratigraphic analysis and of the mosaics' style.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

Within century:

Second half

General outline:

The monastery was abandoned after the Arab conquest, sometime in the seventh century, after which it was converted into a farm (Phase III).

Dating material:

An Umayyad coin dated to 750-760 CE, found in the farm house that was constructed in the precinct; Early Islamic pottery.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned

Post conquest history comments:

In the Early Islamic period, a farmhouse was erected in the southwestern part of the monastery, using stone elements from the monastery in its construction. The area to its east was used as a garden, irrigated by water from the large cistern below the SW courtyard. In the southwestern part of the complex, architectural elements from the monastery were concentrated in preparation for transfer to another site.