Wadi Shiban - Monastery

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Wadi Shiban

Monastery name:

Monastery

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Isolated in the countryside

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

223,276.00

643,996.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

173,276.00

143,827.00

Geographical region:

Samaria Desert Fringes

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

On a terrace below a cliff face on the eastern fringes of Samaria.

Soils:

Rocky limestone

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 10 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 2 km east of the road connecting Jerusalem with Shechem-Neapolis.

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name
Zissu et al.

History:

Add to bibliography: Zissu, B., Langford, B., Dayan A., Porat R., Frumkin A., 2024. An Archaeological Survey of a Byzantine-Period Monastery in Wadi Shiban, Northeast of Jerusalem. Speleology and Spelestology 2024/2 (11):34-52

Bibliograpy:

Zissu, B., Langford, B., Dayan, A., Porat, R. and Frumkin, A., 2016

249-264

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologicaly definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Remains of walls with a maximum height of 6 courses (2.5 m), architectural elements and other elements suggestive of a monastery were noted. Some doorposts were found in situ. Remains of a large, ashlar built structure were found at a lower level, its nature as yet to be determined.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Wadi Shiban, plan of the site (Zissu et al. 2016: 254, Fig. 15)

General description

Paths:

An ancient path, partially constructed and partially hewn, leads down the slope eastwards from the complex.

Churche/s:

Remains of an semicirclar wall, possibly an apse belonging to a small chapel, were noted in the eastern part of the complex. The walls remained to a maximum height of four courses (1.3 m) above ground level. The proposed church was orientated towards the southeast, parallel to a retaining wall constructed at the foot of the cliff. The surveyers estimate the width of the structure at 5.5 m and its lenght at 17.5 m. The roof was apparently of slabs of stone as evidenced by many fragments in the area and remains of plaster found on the slabs.

Cave/s:

Many carstic caves have been noted in the area. Some of these served as dwellings for monks. Above the constructed complex, in the cliff face, are four "hanging" caves that show human occupation and probably formed a part of the monastery. Two more caves and plastered cisterns are located at the foot of the cliff. A large carstic cave was noted in close proximity, on the opposite bank of the wadi. The cave is 140 m long and was used by humans over many periods including the Byzantine period (see Kochav Ya'akov cave). The association between the dwellers of the cave with the monastery on the opposite bank is not clear.

Water installations:

A cistern (2.7 x 1.7 m) plastered with hydraulic plaster was found a few meters west of the doorposts, Its roof supported by two arches. The roof did not survive. Two more cisterns are near the caves at the foot of the cliff.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

Agricultural terraces were noted by the survey, some of them still in use.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Shards.
Stone vessels	Fragments of a basalt millstone.
Other	Tesserae

Detailed description

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

slabs

Components

Monastery church:

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

Dwelling type:

caves

Built paths

Retaining walls

Agricultural installations:

Terraces [=t]

Water installations:

Cisterns

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

Dating material:

Based on the finds of the survey.

Phase date

Century:

Early Christian / Byzantine

Phase date

Century:

Unknown