Bersabe (Hebrew: בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, romanized: Bəʾēr Ševaʿ; Ancient Greek: Βηρσαβέ, romanized: Bērsabé, or Βηρσουβαί, Bērsoubaí), also known as Beersheba of Galilee, was a Second Temple periodJewish village located near the town of Kefar Hananya which marked the boundary between the Upper Galilee and the Lower Galilee, as described by Josephus,[1][2] with Upper Galilee stretching from Bersabe in the Beit HaKerem Valley to Baca (Peki'in) in the north. Bersabe was one of several towns and villages of Galilee fortified by Josephus during the First Jewish–Roman War,[3] being one of the most defensible positions[4] and where insurgents from across Galilee had taken up refuge against the Imperial Roman army when the surrounding countryside was plundered.[5]
Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab
Cultures
Jewish, Greco-Roman
Site notes
Excavation dates
1976, 1985, 2000, 2004
Archaeologists
Mordechai Aviam, Oren Tal – Y. Tepper – Alexander Fantalkin, Uzi Leibner
Condition
Ruin
The ancient village has been identified with the present site of Khirbet es-Saba, a hilltop ruin within a distance of less than a kilometer of the village Kafr 'Inan (Kefr ʿAnan), at the eastern fringe of the Beit HaKerem Valley, and rising some 472 metres (1,549 ft) above sea-level.[6] The same site has been rendered by other authors under the name Khirbet Abu esh-Shebaʿ, a little northwest of Kefr ʿAnan and closely adjoining Farradiyya/Parod to their southwest.[7][8] The site lies 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) eastward of the Arab town of er-Rameh, along Route 85, and about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of Safed.
In 1873, Kitchener and Conder, on a surveying mission with the Palestine Exploration Fund, visited the site and mentioned it as being "a large ruin, which stands upon the terraced hill top."[9] A survey later conducted at the site reveal that the village had occupied an area of about 70 dunams (17.3 acres).[10]
From a prospect on Mount Kefir in the Mount Meron range, as one looks out over the hilltop ruin of Bersabe, the square layout or lines where once stood the walls of the town can still be distinguished.[11] The line of the ancient wall extended over an area comprising the upper third of the hill.[10] The thickness of the northernmost wall, where the hill was easily accessible, is measured at 2.8 metres (9.2 ft), and was built with three semi-circular watch towers. The easternmost wall was built in a zig-zag configuration. The walls were constructed of fieldstones.
From one end of Galilee to the other there was an orgy of fire and bloodshed; no horror, no calamity was spared; the only safety for the fugitive inhabitants was in the towns which Josephus had fortified....
There are no surviving written records on the fate of the town's defenders, although Josephus alludes to it in his Life's Autobiography (§ 65) where he writes: “...I was in the power of the Romans before Jerusalem was besieged, and before the same time, Jotapata was taken by force, as well as many other fortresses, and a great many of the Galileans fell in the war.” Elsewhere, Josephus writes (The Jewish War 4.7) that after the fall of Tarichaea, all but two of the rebel fortresses and strongholds surrendered to the Roman army. This would have happened in the second year of the war, in the 13th year of Nero's reign, sometime between the capture of Jotapata (in the lunar month of Tammuz) and the capture of Tarichaea (in the month of Elul that same year), and which effectually brought an end to the war in Galilee.[13]
The usual Roman procedure in cases involving open rebellion was to kill the able-bodied men who rose up in rebellion, but to sell into slavery all captive women and children.[14]
Archaeological findsedit
Potsherds from the Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Arab periods have been found on the site.[11] Only one square near the ancient wall has been excavated.[15] Mordechai Aviam who excavated the site has noted that the ancient ruin has yielded large quantities of "Galilean Coarse Ware" (GCW)[16] and other Hellenistic and Early Roman shards and coins.[17] Coins found at the site date from the fourth century BCE to the second century CE.[18] Unidentified razed structures and rock-cut cisterns are scattered across the hilltop. The site also abounds with karstic caves.
Pottery found at the site proves the continuation of the settlement deep into the 3rd century CE.[10]
Further readingedit
Oren Tal, "Fortifications of Josephus in Beersheba of the Galilee", pub. in: Jerusalem and the Land of Israel: Sefer Arieh Kindler (ed. Amar & Zohar), Museum Eretz Israel: Ramat Gan 2000, pp. 155–163 (Hebrew)
Meyers, E.M., Strange, J.F., and Groh, D.E., "The Meiron Excavation Project: Archaeological Survey in Galilee and Golan, 1976," in: Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (No. 230 – April 1978), pp. 1–24
Galleryedit
The hill of Bersabe (Kh. Abu esh-Sheba) from western side
Khirbet Abu esh-Sheba (Bersabe) seen from northern side
View from Bersabe in Galilee
Steep ascent to Khirbet Abu esh-Sheba (Bersabe)
Cave at Bersabe (Kh. Abu esh-Sheba)
Old wall in Bersabe
Ruins of Bersabe
Tomb carved from rock at Bersabe
Pit at Bersabe (Khirbet Abu esh-Sheba)
Ruins at Bersabe
Hilltop ruin of Khirbet Abu esh-Sheba as seen from Farradiyya
^These ceramic ware vessels are coarse and handmade (only the rim is sometimes finished on a wheel) and the brown-red ware is characterized by the use of large inclusions, thus named by Mordechai Aviam "Galilean Coarse Ware" (GCW). This ware first appeared during the Persian period and was used extensively during the Hellenistic period (Frankel et al. 2001).
Aviam, Mordechai (1983). "The Location and Function of Josephus' Fortifications in Galilee". Cathedra: For the History of Eretz Israel and Its Yishuv. 28: 33–46. JSTOR 23398973.
Aviam, Mordechai (2004). Jews, Pagans and Christians in the Galilee (Land of Galilee 1). Rochester: University of Rochester Press. ISBN1-58046-171-9.
Mason, S., ed. (2001), "Josephus' Galilee in Archaeological Perspective", Life of Josephus, Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary, vol. 9, Leiden: Brill, ISBN9004117938
Survey of Western Palestine, Map 4: IAA, Wikimedia commons
Beer Sheba of the Galilee
December 15, 2023
bersabe, confused, with, hebrew, romanized, bəʾēr, Ševaʿ, ancient, greek, Βηρσαβέ, romanized, bērsabé, Βηρσουβαί, bērsoubaí, also, known, beersheba, galilee, second, temple, period, jewish, village, located, near, town, kefar, hananya, which, marked, boundary,. Not to be confused with Bersabee Bersabe Hebrew ב א ר ש ב ע romanized Beʾer Sevaʿ Ancient Greek Bhrsabe romanized Bersabe or Bhrsoybai Bersoubai also known as Beersheba of Galilee was a Second Temple period Jewish village located near the town of Kefar Hananya which marked the boundary between the Upper Galilee and the Lower Galilee as described by Josephus 1 2 with Upper Galilee stretching from Bersabe in the Beit HaKerem Valley to Baca Peki in in the north Bersabe was one of several towns and villages of Galilee fortified by Josephus during the First Jewish Roman War 3 being one of the most defensible positions 4 and where insurgents from across Galilee had taken up refuge against the Imperial Roman army when the surrounding countryside was plundered 5 Bersabeבאר שבעView from atop of Bersabe Khirbet Abu esh Sheba Shown within IsraelAlternative nameBeer Sheba of the Galilee Khirbet BeershebaLocationGalileeRegionbetween Upper and Lower GalileeCoordinates32 55 23 N 35 25 07 E 32 92306 N 35 41861 E 32 92306 35 41861HistoryPeriodsIron Age Persian Hellenistic Roman Byzantine ArabCulturesJewish Greco RomanSite notesExcavation dates1976 1985 2000 2004ArchaeologistsMordechai Aviam Oren Tal Y Tepper Alexander Fantalkin Uzi LeibnerConditionRuinThe ancient village has been identified with the present site of Khirbet es Saba a hilltop ruin within a distance of less than a kilometer of the village Kafr Inan Kefr ʿAnan at the eastern fringe of the Beit HaKerem Valley and rising some 472 metres 1 549 ft above sea level 6 The same site has been rendered by other authors under the name Khirbet Abu esh Shebaʿ a little northwest of Kefr ʿAnan and closely adjoining Farradiyya Parod to their southwest 7 8 The site lies 5 kilometres 3 1 mi eastward of the Arab town of er Rameh along Route 85 and about 8 kilometres 5 0 mi southwest of Safed In 1873 Kitchener and Conder on a surveying mission with the Palestine Exploration Fund visited the site and mentioned it as being a large ruin which stands upon the terraced hill top 9 A survey later conducted at the site reveal that the village had occupied an area of about 70 dunams 17 3 acres 10 From a prospect on Mount Kefir in the Mount Meron range as one looks out over the hilltop ruin of Bersabe the square layout or lines where once stood the walls of the town can still be distinguished 11 The line of the ancient wall extended over an area comprising the upper third of the hill 10 The thickness of the northernmost wall where the hill was easily accessible is measured at 2 8 metres 9 2 ft and was built with three semi circular watch towers The easternmost wall was built in a zig zag configuration The walls were constructed of fieldstones Contents 1 Fate of town s defenders 2 Archaeological finds 3 Further reading 4 Gallery 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksFate of town s defenders editFrom one end of Galilee to the other there was an orgy of fire and bloodshed no horror no calamity was spared the only safety for the fugitive inhabitants was in the towns which Josephus had fortified Josephus The Jewish War 3 59 3 4 1 12 There are no surviving written records on the fate of the town s defenders although Josephus alludes to it in his Life s Autobiography 65 where he writes I was in the power of the Romans before Jerusalem was besieged and before the same time Jotapata was taken by force as well as many other fortresses and a great many of the Galileans fell in the war Elsewhere Josephus writes The Jewish War 4 7 that after the fall of Tarichaea all but two of the rebel fortresses and strongholds surrendered to the Roman army This would have happened in the second year of the war in the 13th year of Nero s reign sometime between the capture of Jotapata in the lunar month of Tammuz and the capture of Tarichaea in the month of Elul that same year and which effectually brought an end to the war in Galilee 13 The usual Roman procedure in cases involving open rebellion was to kill the able bodied men who rose up in rebellion but to sell into slavery all captive women and children 14 Archaeological finds editPotsherds from the Iron Age Persian Hellenistic Roman Byzantine and Arab periods have been found on the site 11 Only one square near the ancient wall has been excavated 15 Mordechai Aviam who excavated the site has noted that the ancient ruin has yielded large quantities of Galilean Coarse Ware GCW 16 and other Hellenistic and Early Roman shards and coins 17 Coins found at the site date from the fourth century BCE to the second century CE 18 Unidentified razed structures and rock cut cisterns are scattered across the hilltop The site also abounds with karstic caves Pottery found at the site proves the continuation of the settlement deep into the 3rd century CE 10 Further reading editOren Tal Fortifications of Josephus in Beersheba of the Galilee pub in Jerusalem and the Land of Israel Sefer Arieh Kindler ed Amar amp Zohar Museum Eretz Israel Ramat Gan 2000 pp 155 163 Hebrew Meyers E M Strange J F and Groh D E The Meiron Excavation Project Archaeological Survey in Galilee and Golan 1976 in Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research No 230 April 1978 pp 1 24Gallery edit nbsp The hill of Bersabe Kh Abu esh Sheba from western side nbsp Khirbet Abu esh Sheba Bersabe seen from northern side nbsp View from Bersabe in Galilee nbsp Steep ascent to Khirbet Abu esh Sheba Bersabe nbsp Cave at Bersabe Kh Abu esh Sheba nbsp Old wall in Bersabe nbsp Ruins of Bersabe nbsp Tomb carved from rock at Bersabe nbsp Pit at Bersabe Khirbet Abu esh Sheba nbsp Ruins at Bersabe nbsp Hilltop ruin of Khirbet Abu esh Sheba as seen from Farradiyya nbsp Loom weight discovered in Khirbet Abu esh Sheba nbsp Hilltop ruin of Bersabe as seen from Kafr InanReferences edit Josephus Vita 188 Josephus De Bello Judaico The Jewish War II 572 III 35 Wars of the Jews 3 3 1 Josephus Vita 37 Josephus De Bello Judaico The Jewish War II 572 Wars of the Jews 2 20 6 Josephus De Bello Judaico The Jewish War III 59 The Jewish War 3 4 1 III 110 ibid 3 6 1 Mason S 2001 pp 179 182 Avi Yonah M 1953 p 95 Thomsen P 1966 p 43 Conder amp Kitchener 1881 p 235 a b c Aviam 2008 p 41 a b Aviam M 1983 p 38 Josephus ed G A Williamson The Jewish War Penguin Books Retrieved 28 May 2018 Josephus De Bello Judaico The Jewish War 4 1 1 As in the case of Jotapata Wars of the Jews 3 336 Tarichaea The Jewish War 3 532 Japha Wars of the Jews 3 289 Machaerus The Jewish War 7 216 in Penguin edition Gerasa The Jewish War 4 486 with Gamla and Joppa being the only known exceptions where men women and children were killed Aviam 2004 p 92 These ceramic ware vessels are coarse and handmade only the rim is sometimes finished on a wheel and the brown red ware is characterized by the use of large inclusions thus named by Mordechai Aviam Galilean Coarse Ware GCW This ware first appeared during the Persian period and was used extensively during the Hellenistic period Frankel et al 2001 Aviam 2004 p 63 Aviam 2004 p 95Bibliography editAviam Mordechai 1983 The Location and Function of Josephus Fortifications in Galilee Cathedra For the History of Eretz Israel and Its Yishuv 28 33 46 JSTOR 23398973 Aviam Mordechai 2004 Jews Pagans and Christians in the Galilee Land of Galilee 1 Rochester University of Rochester Press ISBN 1 58046 171 9 Aviam Mordechai 2008 The Great Revolt in Galilee Exhibition Catalogue 28 Hecht Museum University of Haifa Haifa pp 39 52 ISBN 965 7034 18 3 Avi Yonah M 1953 The Missing Fortress of Flavius Josephus Israel Exploration Journal 3 2 94 98 JSTOR 27924515 Conder C R Kitchener H H 1881 The Survey of Western Palestine Memoirs of the Topography Orography Hydrography and Archaeology Vol 1 London Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund Josephus Thackeray H StJ translator 1989 The Jewish War Loeb Classical Library ed Cambridge Massachusetts Harvard University Press ISBN 0 674 99223 7 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a first2 has generic name help Mason S ed 2001 Josephus Galilee in Archaeological Perspective Life of Josephus Flavius Josephus Translation and Commentary vol 9 Leiden Brill ISBN 9004117938 Thomsen Peter 1966 Loca Sancta Hildesheim a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Leipzig 1907 External links editSurvey of Western Palestine Map 4 IAA Wikimedia commons Beer Sheba of the Galilee Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bersabe amp oldid 1187928275, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
