A Church from the Byzantine, Umayyad and Abbasid Periods andRemains from Iron Age I at Tamra (ez-Zuʻab iyya ) in Ramat Issakhar (Hebrew, pp. 55*–106*; English summary, pp. 168–171)

Authors

Yotam Tepper, Israel Antiquities Authority

Abstract

Excavations at the village of Tamra ez-Zuʻabiyya exposed well-preserved basalt architectural remains of a rural settlement, dating from the Byzantine to the Early Islamic periods. Remains were also uncovered from the Iron Age and the Persian and Roman periods, as well as from the Fatimid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. In the Byzantine period, a church was erected at the site, decorated with a colorful mosaic pavement, depicting doves and peacocks. During the Umayyad period, the church included a nave, a bema and a northern aisle. The nave was adorned with a colorful mosaic pavement, containing a four-line dedicatory inscription in Greek. According to the date mentioned in the inscription, the mosaic dates to year 107 AH (725 CE). This is the first encountering of a date based on the Islamic Hijri calendar, written in Greek, in an ecclesial building. The church continued to be used during the Abbasid period, although with a few alterations. The finds indicate that a Christian rural community flourished at Tamra during the Byzantine period and that a church was erected there during the sixth century CE. The Christian community continued to exist when the Early Islamic period superseded the Byzantine one.

Keywords

Byzantine period, Early Islamic period, Christianity, epigraphy, iconography, art

Recommended Citation

Tepper, Yotam (2018) "A Church from the Byzantine, Umayyad and Abbasid Periods andRemains from Iron Age I at Tamra (ez-Zuʻab iyya ) in Ramat Issakhar (Hebrew, pp. 55*–106*; English summary, pp. 168–171)," 'Atiqot: Vol. 90, Article 12.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1834
Available at: https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol90/iss1/12