Abstract
Qanat systems operated mainly in arid and semi-arid regions to obtain ground water by means of gravitation. This sophisticated technology was identified at three sites in the ‘Arava—‘En ‘Avrona, ‘En Yotvata and ‘En Marzev—and provided water all year round for household and irrigation needs. Excavations at these sites exposed agricultural farms, comprising a qanat system, a reservoir, a cultivated area and rectangular structures. Finds include pottery, stone and glass vessels, metal finds, coins and epigraphical finds, as well as organic material, botanical remains, melanopsis shells and faunal remains, dating to the Early Islamic period (late seventh–ninth centuries CE). This date for the introduction of the qanat-system technology in Israel is in accordance with the evidence from other countries in the Levant.
Keywords
Early Islamic Period, falaj, galleria, chain-wells, karez, fogara, khetara, chronology, terminology, technology, typology, Mahesh Ware, steatite vessels, economy, numismatics, agriculture, epigraphy, Greek inscriptions, Arabic inscriptions
Recommended Citation
Porath, Yosef
(2016)
"Tunnel-Well (Qanat) Systems from the Early Islamic Period in the ‘Arava (with contributions by Nili Liphschitz and Yoel Wiesel, and Moshe Sharon) (Hebrew, pp. 1*–81*; English, pp. 113–116),"
'Atiqot: Vol. 86, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1742
Available at:
https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol86/iss1/1
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