Shivta
שבטה شبطا | |
![]() Shivta's southern church | |
Alternative name | possibly Shubitu (Nabataean), Sobota (ancient Greek), Subeita[1] and Isbeita[2] (Arabic). |
---|---|
Location | Southern District, Israel |
Region | Negev |
Coordinates | 30°53′N 34°38′E / 30.88°N 34.63°E |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Abandoned | 8th/9th century |
Cultures | Nabataean, Byzantine |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | 1933-1934 |
Condition | In ruins |
Europe and North America |
Shivta (
The name Shivta is a modern
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Subeita_in_the_Survey_of_Palestine_1944_1-250%2C000_Sheet_3_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Subeita_in_the_Survey_of_Palestine_1944_1-250%2C000_Sheet_3_%28cropped%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Street_in_Shivta_ruins_in_the_Negev.jpg/220px-Street_in_Shivta_ruins_in_the_Negev.jpg)
Long considered a classical
]A few Roman-period ruins have been discovered, but most of the archaeological findings date to the
Roman period
Roman ruins from the first century BCE have been unearthed in the southern part of the town.[7]
Byzantine period
Three Byzantine churches (a main church and two smaller ones), two wine-presses, residential areas and administrative buildings have been excavated.[citation needed]
Churches
Traces of a mural of Christ's transfiguration were discovered in the apse of the southern church, as well as remains of a colourful 6th-century mosaic and a beardless depiction of Jesus in the northern church.[9][10]
Agriculture (wine)
The wine presses at Shivta give an insight into the scale of wine production at the time.[11] According to the calculations of archaeologists, the Nabatean/Byzantine village of Shivta produced about two million liters of wine.[12]
Adjacent to the site is a large farm that uses Nabatean[dubious – discuss] agricultural techniques of irrigation, sowing and reaping.[13]
In the early 6th century, grape production in the Negev for the so-called vinum Gazentum ('
Early Muslim period
After the Arab conquest in the 7th century CE, the population dwindled.[why?] Shivta was finally abandoned in the 8th or 9th century CE.[citation needed]
The Armenian Graffito from the Southern Church of Shivta
The Armenian Graffito from the Southern Church of Shivta is a significant archaeological find. It is believed to have been created by an Armenian pilgrim during the
Armenian graffiti have also been found in other holy sites, including the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, the Holy Sepulchre Church, and the sanctuaries of the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem. These inscriptions are dated to the Crusader period and later, indicating the continued pilgrimage of Armenians to the Holy Land.
The presence of Armenian graffiti at Shivta is intriguing, as the site had lost its significance as a pilgrimage station by the time the graffito was created. This suggests that the tradition of veneration at Shivta may have persisted among Armenians, and that they may have preferred less-traveled routes for their pilgrimage journeys.
Overall, the Armenian Graffito from Shivta provides valuable insight into the pilgrimage routes and practices of Armenians in the Holy Land, connecting major holy sites in central and northern Palestine with the Sinai Peninsula.[16][17]
Excavation history
In 1933–38, American archaeologist Harris Dunscombe Colt conducted a dig at Shivta. The house he lived in bears an inscription in ancient Greek that reads: “With good luck. Colt built (this house) with his own money."[7][25] Colt never published the result of his excavations, which also represent the only large-scale archaeological campaigns executed at the site.[26] Much of the archaeological information is lost for good, not least due to a fire on 7th October 1938 at the expedition house that consumed all the collected architectural decoration and dig notes.[27]
Updates from 2018:
- In January 1938, a suitcase, which contained artifacts, documents, and photographs from the archaeological excavations at Shivta, was forgotten at the Haifa port. The suitcase belonged to Harris Dunscombe Colt (1901—1973), the excavator of Shivta. Colt never came to claim the forgotten suitcase, nor was it ever sent to him. The suitcase was eventually shipped to Jerusalem and its contents were never studied or published. [28]
- The artifacts, which consist of small items like jewelry, door hinges, nails, pieces of glass, objects made from bone, ivory and wood, and shards of pottery inscribed with Arabic and Greek writing, are now on display at the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa.[29]
In the late 1940s, Bellarmino Bagatti continued work at the northern church,[30] and in the 1950s Nelson Glueck researched Shivta's ecology.[31] Between 1958-1960, Michael Avi-Yonah and made the site accessible, in the process also clearing the central church of debris.[32]
In the 1960s, botanist
Between 1970-1976, Avraham Negev led various surveys,[34] others following with a number of small digs, theoretical studies and mapping efforts.[35] A 2000-2001 in-depth study of Shivta's water systems, based on surveys and analysis, was the work of Tsvika Tsuk.[36]
See also
References
- ^ )
- ^ Shivta (Subeita, Isbeita), Carta Digital Ltd, accessed 5 August 2020
- JSTOR 990111.
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 18
- ^ Israel National Commission for UNESCO: Report on Activities 2004-2005, p. 30, accessed 6 August 2020
- Nessanapapyri. A. Negev assumes that the name originated from the Nabatean name Shubitu . The Hebrew name, Shivta, was awarded by the Governmental Commission of Names.
- ^ a b c "Shivta National Park". Archived from the original on 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
- ^ Meet Shivta National Park, at the new homepage of the Nature and Parks Authority, accessed 5 August 2020
- '^ Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus’ Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church. Ruth Schuster for Haaretz, 14 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ Tepper, Yotam and Bar-Oz, Guy. Shivta: Preliminary Report. Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel (HA-ESI) Volume 132 Year 2020, Israel Antiquities Authority. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- Jerusalem Post. 2012-08-16. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "No sour grapes", Deborah Rubin Fields for The Jerusalem Post, 17 February 2011, partially accessed 5 August 2020 (subscription required)
- ^ "A hop, skip and a jump into the past". John Benzaquen for The Jerusalem Post, 26 August 2012. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g "How Volcanoes and Plague Killed the Byzantine Wine Industry in Israel". Ariel David for Haaretz, 29 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ^ Ronny R EICH and Eli S HUKRON , "The Western Extramural Quarter of ByzantineJerusalem", in: Michael E. S TONE , Roberta E RVINE and Nira S TONE (eds.), The Armenians in Jerusalem and the Holy Land , Leuven, Peeters, 2002, 193-201; Michael E. S TONE , Doron B EN -A MI and Yana T CHEKHANOVETS , "New Armenian Inscriptions from the Cityof David, Jerusalem", Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies 23 (2014) 149-152; I D .,"Armenian Graffito from the City of David, Jerusalem", REArm 37 (2016-2017) 283-286.
- ^ "Le texte grec des récits du moine Anastase sur les saints pères duSinaï".
- ^ Yana TCHEKHANOVETS, Yotam TEPPER, Guy BAR-OZ. The Armenian Graffito from the Southern Church of Shivta. p. 446-454.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Röhl (2010), p. 1
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 2
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 4
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 5
- ^ Röhl (2010), pp. 6ff.
- ^ Röhl (2010), pp. 11ff.
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 14
- ^ Röhl (2010), pp. 14-15
- ^ Röhl (2010), pp. 14-15
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 15. See also the letter to Colt describing the damage.
- ^ "The Forgotten Suitcase".
- ^ "Customs Letter About a Long-Lost Suitcase Leads to Artifacts from Desert with Early 'Jesus' Painting". Live Science. 19 February 2019.
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 15
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 16
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 16
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 16
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 16
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 17
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 18
Bibliography
- Tepper, Yotam; Bar-Oz, Guy (2016-05-04). "Shivta Preliminary Report" (128). Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Erickson-Gini, Tali (2013-12-16). "Shivta Final Report" (125). Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Nash, G.H., 2019. One of the magnificent six: Secrets for the Byzantine city of Shivta. Current World Archaeology 96, 46-49.
- Röhl, Constanze (2010). "Shivta, Architektur und Gesellschaft einer byzantinischen Siedlung im Negev (PhD thesis); "Shivta, Architecture and Society of a Byzantine settlement in the Negev"" (in German). Cologne, Germany: University of Cologne. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
External links
- 360 degrees panorama of Shivtah
- Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev, UNESCO
- I due Battisteri di Shivta su BeWeB - Beni ecclesiastici in web
- Photos of Shivta at the Manar al-Athar photo archive