Pisgat Zeev; Deir Raz'eli; Deir Ghazali - Monastery (?)

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Pisgat Zeev; Deir Raz'eli; Deir Ghazali

Monastery name:

Monastery (?)

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Isolated in the countryside

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

22,396.00

63,637.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

17,396.00

13,637.00

Geographical region:

Samaria Desert Fringes

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

Hill area

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 5 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 5 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 3 km east of the road connecting Jerusalem with Shechem-Neapolis.

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Gibson and Edelstein	1982
kloner	2000

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Avner	1990

Bibliograpy:

Gibson, S. and Edelstein, G., 1985	139-55
Avner, R., Azmon, S. and Sabariego, A., 1991	128-30
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	111
Avner, R., 2000	25-52 (English summary 160-161)
Kloner, A., 2001	40
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	303-305

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Uncertain / Questionable

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The excavation revealed a well constructed structure with walls that were preserved to a height of two meters.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Deir Razali- general plan of the site (Magen and Kagan 2012 I: 303)

General description

Enclosing walls:

The complex was surrounded by well constructed walls forming an L-shaped structure (ca. 35 x 25 m).

Tower/s:

About 13 m east of the building, stands a small square structure (6.2 x 6 m). The floor is natural rock that had been leveled. This may have been a watch tower.

Churche/s:

No remains of a church were found. A hall in the north wing of the complex included six engaged piers and a free standing one in the center of the hall, suggesting an upper story where the church might have been.

Refectory:

The hall with piers may have served as a refectory.

Water installations:

Outside the main building a cistern was cut into the rock (5 x 2.75 m, 2 m deep; capacity 27 m³) roofed with stone slabs.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

An oil press was located in one of the rooms of the north wing. In the south wing two wine presses were found including a plastered collection vat with a stucco cross, indicating an industrial production of wine.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Bowls; jars; basins; jugs; cooking utensils; some 8th- early 9th century pottery.
Stone vessels	Pestles (basalt, limestone).
Glass	Fragments of glass typical of the Byzantine and Early Islamic period: bottles, wine glasses and lamps.
Coins	16 coins. 9 were identifiable from the Hasmonaean to the Abbasid periods.
Oil lamps	Large candlestick oil lamps.
Other	Fragments of a statuette from the Abbasid period

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
800	Small

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

Components

Enclosing wall

Tower/s

Monastery church:

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

Number of stories:

Agricultural installations:

oil press\es [=o/p]

wine press\es [=w/p]

Water installations:

Cisterns

Water capacity (minimal) (cubic m):

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

Phase name (as published):

phase A

General outline:

During the first phase of existence of the structure it served as a monastery. Most of the walls were of mixed sized stones roughly hewn. The complex is slightly L-shaped with two wings. The north wing had 3 rooms in phase A: an oil press and two other rooms adjoining on the north. Six engaged piers. The church was possibly on the second storey. The west wing had 2 rooms in the north and two halls in the south. In the south wing were two wine presses including a plastered collection vat with a stucco cross.

Dating material:

It was not possible to date each phase separately according to the excavator. Modifications took place sometime in the Early Islamic period.

Phase date

Century:

5th-6th c.

Phase name (as published):

Phase B

General outline:

In this phase, the agricultural/industrial activity came to an end, walls were built on some of the installations and the rooms were divided. Based on parallels, it probably ceased to function as a monastery in this phase.

Dating material:

Finds dating to the Early Islamic period indicate that the structure remained in use up to the ninth or perhaps 10th century CE.

Phase date

Century:

Unknown

General outline:

The monastery may have ceased to function in its second phase although this is not clear enough and it may have continued to function. The site itself was abandoned sometime in the ninth or tenth century CE.

Phase date

Century:

7th-8th c.

Post Arab conquest history:

Modified

Post conquest history comments:

The architectural changes made to the structure in the second phase indicate that function of the complex changed and it possibly did not continue as a monastery. However, the structure continued in use up to the ninth or even tenth century CE.