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Abstract

At the site, located near Shefar’am in the Lower Galilee, six architectural strata (VI–I) were discerned. Their dates range from the late Hellenistic to the late Byzantine/Early Islamic periods. During the late Hellenistic period (Hasmonean period; second century BCE), there was a small village at the site, which was possibly settled by Judean colonizers. The finds from the Early Roman period include Kefar Ḥananya wares and a few chalkstone vessel fragments, which hint at the Jewish identity of the inhabitants. In the Middle Roman period (third–fourth centuries CE), there was renewed activity at the site; the pottery forms, including Kefar Ḥananya wares, are characteristic of Jewish settlements in the region. After a gap, the site was resettled during the early Byzantine period (fifth century CE), possibly by a Christian population. During the middle Byzantine period (late fifth–sixth centuries CE), new buildings were erected, and remains of large-scale food-processing were found; these were possibly associated with a monastery, a farm, or a lodging inn for Christian pilgrims en route from ‘Akko to the Galilee. Activity in the late Byzantine–Early Islamic periods (early seventh century CE) consisted of small-scale industrial burning activity, carried out by a new short-lived population at the site.

Keywords

Lower Galilee, numismatics, fauna, economy, cross, ethnicity, burial, glass, agriculture, monastery, Fatamid period, Jews, Christians, Great Revolt

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