Meẓad Yeroḥam. A Caravanserai Site of the Roman and Byzantine Periods in the Negev Highlands. Nicolas Benenstein, Oren Tal and Itamar Taxel. With Contributions by Donald T. Ariel, Ya‘aqov Baumgarten, Pablo BetzerLihi Habas, Ruth E. Jackson-Tal, James G. Keenan, Henk K. Mienis, Oz Rittner, Noi Shemesh, Ofer Sion, Deborah Sweeney, Yotam Tepper and Alexander Wiegmann. Ägypten und Altes Testament 134. VIII, 294 pages
Located southwest of the modern city of Yeroham, in the heartland of other Negev cities of the Classical Period (Mampsis in the northeast, Elusa and Reḥovot-in-the-Negev in the northwest, Nessana and Sobota in the southwest, and Oboda in the south), the site of Meẓad Yeroḥam has received little attention in modern research due to a lack of publications. The four excavated areas (A–D) of the site, examined by Palmer (1870) and Glueck (1954) and excavated by Cohen (1966–1967, 1993) and Baumgarten (2000), revealed three levels of occupation, dating from the early Roman (1st/2nd century AD) to the late Byzantine (6th and possibly early 7th century AD) periods, as evidenced by the excavated ceramics and coins. While early settlement at the site is limited to areas B and C, the site's present-day architectural landscape dates back to the Byzantine period and illustrates a relatively dense settlement whose character—apparently a caravanserai with a few buildings of a military and domestic (family) nature—distinguishes from contemporary large villages and small towns of the Negev. This function and use may also indicate its character during earlier periods of settlement. One of the Greek ostraca found at the site mentions a toponym, Μαραμαθως, possibly the ancient name of the site, which unfortunately is unknown in either contemporary epigraphic material or historical sources.
This study provides a comprehensive account of the excavations at the site, covering its research history, setting, architecture and stratigraphy, architectural sculpture, pottery, glass, stone (and other artifacts), and coins, as well as ostraca, dipinti, and shells. The necropolis and the hinterland of the site are also discussed in detail. The analysis of Meẓad Yeroḥam is holistic and based on the finds and current research on the classical periods in the Negev.
List of Authors and Contributors
Preface
Chapter 1. Introduction (Oren Tal, Itamar Taxel and Nicolas Benenstein)
1.1 Historical Background
1.2 History of Research
1.3 The Site Environs
Part 1: The Site and Its Environment
Chapter 2. Stratigraphy and Architecture (Oren Tal, Itamar Taxel, Nicolas Benenstein and Ya‘aqov Baumgarten)
2.1 Area A
2.2 Area B
2.3 Area C
2.4 Area D
Chapter 3. Architectural Sculpture (Lihi Habas)
3.1 Catalogue
3.2 Discussion
3.3 Summary
Chapter 4. The Roman and Byzantine Necropoleis of Meẓad Yeroḥam (Pablo Betzer)
4.1 The Vaulted Hypogeum
4.2 Aerial and Traditional Surveys of the Meẓad Yeroḥam Necropoleis
4.3 The Southern Necropolis
4.4 Discussion
Chapter 5. Transit Routes and Agricultural Hinterland in the Periphery of Meẓad Yeroḥam (Ofer Sion, Yotam Tepper, Noi Shemesh, Alexander Wiegmann and Nicolas Benenstein)
5.1 Roads and Routes
5.2 Water Sources
5.3 Agriculture
5.4 Quarries
5.5 Discussion
5.6 Summary
Part 2: Artifacts and Ecofacts
Chapter 6. Pottery (Itamar Taxel, Nicolas Benenstein and Oren Tal)
6.1 The Roman Period
6.2 The Byzantine Period
6.3 The Ottoman Period
6.4 Discussion
Chapter 7. Glass Vessels and Small Objects Made of Glass, Faience and Stone (Ruth E. Jackson-Tal)
7.1 The Vessels
7.2 The Objects
7.3 Summary
Chapter 8. Stone, Plaster, Bone and Metal Finds (Itamar Taxel, Oren Tal and Nicolas Benenstein)
8.1 Stone and Plaster Objects
8.2 Bone Objects
8.3 Metal Objects
Chapter 9. Coins (Donald T. Ariel)
9.1 The Roman Period
9.2 The Byzantine Period
9.3 The End of Meẓad Yeroḥam: Coin and Other Evidence
9.4 Summary
9.5 Catlogue
Chapter 10. Greek Ostraca (James G. Keenan)
Chapter 11. Dipinti (Oren Tal, Itamar Taxel and Nicolas Benenstein)
Chapter 12. A (Fake) Ptolemaic Cartouche (Deborah Sweeney)
Chapter 13. Shells (Henk K. Mienis and Oz Rittner)
13.1 Material and Methods
13.2 Results
13.3 Discussion
13.4 Summary
Part 3: Epilogue
Chapter 14. Summary and Conclusions: Synopsis of the Findings and Their Meaning (Oren Tal, Itamar Taxel and Nicolas Benenstein)
14.1 Location and Terrain
14.2 Site Plan
14.3 Architectural Characteristics
14.4 The Artifactual (Non-Epigraphic) Evidence
14.5 The Epigraphic Evidence and the Site Administration
14.6 Aspects of Christianity: A Missing(?) Ecclesiastic Complex and the Site’s Role in Holy Land Pilgrimage
14.7 The Site Abandonment and End of Occupation
