Ḥorvat Meidav - Monastery (?)

Vertical tabs

Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Ḥorvat Meidav

Monastery name:

Monastery (?)

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Isolated in the countryside

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

216,960.00

762,066.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

166,948.00

262,066.00

Geographical region:

Western Galilee

Bishopric:

Ptolemais

Topographical location:

Hill top

Soils:

Chalk

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 10 km (Acco-Ptolomais)

Distance from Roman roads:

5 km north of the road leading eastwards from Acco-Ptolomais.

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Guérin	1870

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name
Aviam

Bibliograpy:

Aviam, M., 2002	165-218
Aviam, M., 2003	41-59
Aviam, M., 2004	181-204

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Uncertain / Questionable

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The site is poorly preserved. Due to severe damage by heavy machinery, a salvage excavation took place. The excavation showed that most of the stones had been robbed.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

H. Meidav- view of the remains from the west

From left, clockwise: two cist tombs; remains of the clay coffin; the cist tomb in the center of the chapel; mosaic and platered walls

Figures

Plan and section of the remains (Aviam 2003)

General description

Enclosing walls:

A wall on the west side of the site forms the boundary for the constructed area. The excavator suggested that this wall was part of the perimeter wall of the complex. The complex seems to be square with an area of some 700 m².

Churche/s:

The chapel was approximately 7.5 x 9.25 m. It was paved with a mosaic floor and showed no evidence of either pillars or roof tiles. It has been suggested that the roof was vaulted.

Dwellings:

Four rooms were located adjacent to the south wall of the chapel. Some of these may have served as dwellings. The rooms were paved in a white mosaic, and plastered.

Burials:

In the northwest corner of the site, two rock cut tombs were found. Three cist tombs were located in the prayer hall. These apparently preceded the construction of the complex and were covered by a mosaic pavement. Remains of a clay coffin were found in the southeastern corner of the prayer hall, close to the apse. No association could be determined between the coffin and the tombs in the vicinity. The coffin had been used as a fire pit at some later stage, attested by the quantity of ashes found in it. Beneath the coffin, a hewn cist tomb (1.8 x 0.6 x 0.8 m) was located. The tomb had been covered with two large stone slabs, only the eastern of which was preserved, in situ. Two additional and identical cist tombs were located in the northwestern corner of the hall and completely excavated, revealing only material of the modern era. The tombs are all in alignment with the church on an east-west axis.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

A winepress, was found that had been abolished when the chapel was constructed.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Pottery of the Byzantine period
Glass	A small glass disk 2.5 cm. in diameter was found in the fill over the mosaic.

Comments, discussion and summary:

The identification of the site as a monastery was based on several finds: the absence of any evidence of construction beyond the western wall, the eastern wall bounds the site, and no structures were found to the south of the excavated southern rooms on the lower terrace (Aviam 2004).

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
700	Small

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Components

Enclosing wall

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
single nave

Number of stories:

Tombs type:

Cist tomb

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

Before construction of the chapel and its adjacent structures, the site consisted of the hewn burial caves and hewn installations (perhaps a wine-press). The monastery was constructed sometime in the Byzantine period. The hewn installation was covered over by a mosaic pavement, the chapel was constructed with its adjacent rooms.

Dating material:

No precise dating was provided. However, no finds earlier than Byzantine were found.

Phase date

Century:

Early Christian / Byzantine

General outline:

No finds dating to the Early Islamic period were found, indicating that the site was perhaps abandoned during the Persian occupation or the Arab conquest.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

First half

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned

Post conquest history comments:

The monastery was abandoned in the seventh century without signs of destruction. It was resettled in the Abbasid period and according to the excavator was still intact when the new settlers turned the site into a potters’ workshop.