Khirbet Almit

Last updated
Khirbet Almit
חורבת עלמית
Khirbet Almit.jpg
Location West Bank
Region Judean desert
Coordinates 31°49′25.5″N35°16′28.4″E / 31.823750°N 35.274556°E / 31.823750; 35.274556
TypeSettlement
Part of Bronze Age, Iron Age, Hellenistic period, Roman period, Byzantine period,
Area2 ha (4.9 acres)
Height683 m
History
PeriodsBronze age - Ottoman period
Cultures Jewish, Muslim
Site notes
ConditionRuined
OwnershipPublic
Public accessYes

Khirbet Almit is an archaeological site in the West Bank, occupied from the Middle Bronze Age to the Ottoman period. It is located in the Judaean Desert about 4 km northeast of Mount Scopus and about 1.5 km southeast of 'Anata. The site is situated on the top of two peaks of one hill at an altitude of 638 meters above sea level, near Nahal Zimri and on the border of the Nahal Prat Nature Reserve. [1]

Contents

Excavation history

The site of Khirbet Almit has been excavated several times. Rescue excavations were conducted in the years 1973, [2] 1981, [3] and 1999, [4] in various areas in the site. [2] [3] [4]

Archeology

The center of the site is on the southwestern peak, where there are remains of buildings, a hiding complex dating to the Bar Kokhba revolt, [5] [ irrelevant citation (See discussion.)] residential and storage caves, rock-cut tombs and additional graves, water cisterns, and terraces. [1] Excavations found Yehud coins, small silver coins with the Aramaic inscription Yehud, indicating that they coined by the Jewish province of Yehud Medinata within the Achaemenid Empire. [6] [ page needed ][ irrelevant citation (See discussion.)]

Apart from the excavated caves, the surveyors noted a burial cave on the western slope with five steps at its entrance. Inside the cave, there is an small hall with a small burial chamber, which includes four niches. [3] [4] Near the burial cave, there is a columbarium cave with about 70 niches. [2] [3] [4] In the northwestern part of the peak, two water cisterns are carved into the chalk rock. [1] To the south of them are the remains of a winepress, including a treading floor, a collection pit, and a section of mosaic. [1]

At the top of the peak is a square structure with 4 meters long walls. [1] [2] In the northeastern part at the top of the peak, there is an industrial underground complex that had several agricaltural uses, including an oil press. [1] [2]

To the south of the southwestern peak is the tomb of Sheikh 'Abd es-Sallam, a Muslim saint who migrated from Morocco and founded the village of 'Anata. [7] Next to this tomb are modern Arab graves. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Khirbat Almit (ח'רבת עלמית)". Israel Archaeological Survey (אתר הסקר הארכיאולוגי של ישראל). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 דינור, א' (1986). "Kh. 'Almit / ח' עלמית". Hadashot Arkheologiyot / חדשות ארכיאולוגיות. פח: 18–19. ISSN   0047-1569. JSTOR   23475350.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Uri, Dinur (1988). "מערת קבורה מהמאה השישית לפנה"ס בחורבת עלמית". נקרות צורים. 14: 44–51.
  4. 1 2 3 4 הר-אבן, בנימין (2003). "ח' עלמית". Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel / חדשות ארכיאולוגיות: חפירות וסקרים בישראל. 115: 63–66. ISSN   1565-043X. JSTOR   23485275.
  5. ↑ Brown, Michael Joseph (2011-11-11). "Biblical Theology". The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology: 377–385. doi:10.1002/9781444345742.ch36. ISBN   978-1-4443-3082-3.
  6. ↑ Rooke, Deborah W. (2012). Zadok's heirs: the role and development of the high priesthood in ancient Israel. Oxford theological monographs. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-966111-4.
  7. ↑ Tal, Uri (2023). Muslim Shrines. Yad Ben-Zvi. pp. 238–9. ISBN   978-965-217-452-9.
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