Dūra; Durā; Adora - Church
Church Name, type, function
Site Name:
Dūra; Durā; Adora
Identification:
A town in the southern Judean Hills, one of the important Idumaean cities and capital of the district under Gabinius. The site was identified as the Hellenistic city of Adora, mentioned in a number of sources (΄Αδωρά/΄Αδωρεος; I Macc. 13:20; War 1;63, 160-170; Ant. 8:207, 257, 396).
Robinson identified Adoraim with Dura. Adoraim was a city (meaning: "double mound"), fortified by Rehoboam ( 2 Chronicles 11:9 ) in Judah.
For identification see: Thomsen 1907: 16; Abel 1933-38 II: 239; Avi-Yonah 1976: 26; Tabula: 58). Near the village the tomb of Noah is venerated. Bagatti described it as a large sarcophagus in the vicinity of the village (Judea 2002: 81).
Church name:
Church
Functional Type:
Unknown
Dedication:
Unknown
Church type:
Basilical
Location
Coordinates, ITM system:
20,259.00
60,163.00
Coordinates, ICS system:
15,259.00
10,163.00
Geographical region:
Judean Hills
Distance from nearest settlement:
ca. 7.5 km south of Tarqumiyya, ca. 7 km south-west of Hebron
Distance from Roman roads:
ca. 1 km to the north from the road between Hebron and Eleutheropolis, 2 km to the west from the junction of the roads between Hebron and Daroma
Provincial affiliation:
Palaestina I
Bishopric:
Eleutheropolis
Source of knowledge
Literary sources:
Literary sources
Archaeological remains
Surveyed site
Surveyors:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
Robinson and Smith | ca. 1840 |
Guérin | ca. 1860 |
Tristram | ca. 1880 |
Mader | between 1911 and 1914 |
Kochavi | 1967/8 |
Kagan | ca. 2010 |
Bibliograpy:
General description
State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:
The church wasn't preserved, though Ovadiah identified it as a hypothetical basilica. In all surveys just only the architectural members, reused in the Arab houses of the village, are described. Architectural members included elaborated ashlars, decorated lintels, Attic base, fragments of the shafts. Also Mader revealed tesserae and even smalta pieces of different colours.
Description
Small finds
Small finds:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
Pottery | Pottery sherds from the Iron Age, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Medieval periods were reported by Mader and Kochavi. |
Small finds illustrative material:
Architectural Evolution
| Phase no. | Century |
|---|---|
Phase 1 | Early Christian / Byzantine |
Abandonment | Unknown |