Transliterated Name | Language | Name |
---|---|---|
Beth She'an | Hebrew | בֵּית שְׁאָן |
Beit She'an | Hebrew | בֵּית שְׁאָן |
Beisan | Arabic | بيسان |
Baysān | Arabic | بيسان |
Tell el-Husn | Arabic | تيلل يلءهوسن |
Scythopolis | Greek | Σκυθόπολις |
Nysa | Greek | Νῦσα |
Nysa-Scythopolis | Greek | Νῦσα-Σκυθόπολις |
Beshan | Semitic | |
Beshan | Semitic | |
Tell Iztabba |
Beit She'an (aka Scythopolis aka Baysān) is situated at a strategic location between
the Yizreel and Jordan Valleys at the juncture of ancient roadways (Stern et al, 1993).
In Roman times, it was one of the cities of the Decapolis.
Tsafrir and Foester (1997:88-89)
note that hellenistic Scythopolis succeeded biblical Bet Shean on the tell, and in the third to second century B.C.E. expanded toward Tel Iztaba,
north of Nahal Harod
adding that the tell, which was located east of the new built-up area, became the acropolis of the larger town.
The site of Bet She'an was occupied almost continuously from Neolithic to Early Arab times
(Stern et al, 1993).
Tel Beth-Shean (Tell el-Husn in Arabic) is located at the junction of two important roads: the transversal road leading from the Jezreel and Harod valleys to Gilead, and the road running the length of the Jordan Valley. The mound is situated on a high hill that slopes toward the northwest, on the southern bank of Nahal Harod (map reference 1977.2124). Beth-Shean's location at this major junction, as well as in a fertile, water-rich valley, gave the city great strategic importance. The site was occupied almost continuously from the Late Neolithic to the Early Arab periods. Beginning in the Roman period, the city moved down into the valley to the south and west of the mound (see below), while only a temple (in the early Roman period) and a suburb (in the Byzantine and Early Arab periods) were erected on the mound itself. The mound covers approximately 10 a. Its summit is at the southeast corner; the city gate appears to have always been in the northwest, where access is easiest.
Between 1921 and 1933, excavations were carried out at the mound under the auspices of the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, directed by C. S. Fisher (1921 to 1923), A. Rowe (1925 to 1928), and G. M. FitzGerald (1930, 1933). In the first two seasons, the Early Arab and Byzantine levels were excavated over the entire mound. The 1923 to 1928 seasons focused on the Iron Age and Late Bronze Age levels on the mound's summit. In the last two seasons, the excavators reached the Middle and Early Bronze Age strata, and a probe was dug down to bedrock. Some 230 tombs dating from the Middle Bronze Age I to the Roman period were also excavated in the northern cemetery cut in the cliff face along the northern bank of the Harod valley, just opposite the mound. This was the first large-scale stratigraphic excavation in Palestine after World War I and it contributed greatly to the archaeological research of the biblical period. However, the scientific publication of the excavation results is inadequate, as only a small portiOn of the finds was fully published. Many years after the excavatiOns ended, the Iron Age finds were published by F. James and the northern cemetery by E. D. Oren.
Nine excavation seasons were conducted at Tel Beth-Shean by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from 1989 to 1996, under the direction of A. Mazar. One major conclusion of the new excavations is that a topographic step crossing the c. 10-a. mound north of the summit, located at its southeastern corner (between the new excavation areas Q and L), was in fact the northern edge of the settlement during most of the Bronze and Iron Ages, except during the Early Bronze Age I, when settlement perhaps spread over the lower part of the mound, remains of which were found in area L. Thus, through most of the Bronze and Iron Ages the settlement at Beth Shean probably did not exceed c. 4 a. It has been suggested by B. Arubas that the mound was cut to some extent on the south and west during large scale earth moving operations during the Early Roman period, when the civil center of Nysa-Scythopolis was constructed; this might explain the lack of fortifications and the fact that buildings in all periods were found cut on the southern and western parts of the mound.
Description | Photo | Reference |
---|---|---|
Plan View Drawing of Silvanus Street destruction |
![]() ![]() Segment of the remains near the southeast end of Silvanus Street, showing the collapsed shops and arcade after the earthquake of 749 C.E. (after Foerster and Tsafrir, ESI 11 [1992], fig. 45)
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Junction of Valley Street and Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() The junction of Valley Street (right), Silvanus Street (bottom left), and the street leading to the temple (top). The podium of the Central Monument is on the left, looking west. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Valley Street and the central monument |
![]() ![]() Valley Street and the Central Monument, looking southwest. Note the mosaic pavements of the portico on the north side of the street. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Main junction of Valley Street and Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() The main junction of Valley Street (center), Southern Street (later Silvanus Street) (right), and the street leading to the temple (left) in front of the Central Monument (bottom), looking northeast Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
City Center |
![]() ![]() The city center of Scythopolis, looking west, showing the slopes of the tell, Palladius Street, and the western bathhouse (top,from right to left). The Roman portico is in the center, with the decorative pool and street (later Silvanus Street) on its right and the eastern bathhouse on its left. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
City Center (closer view) |
![]() ![]() The city center, looking southeast, showing Palladius Street (bottom right); Northern Street (bottom left); the temple, nymphaeum, and Central Monument (center); Valley Street (center left); the basilica and part of the Byzantine agora (center right); and the Roman portico and Silvanus Street (top) Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Slopes of the tell |
![]() ![]() Looking north toward the slopes of the tell, showing the propylon and the stairway (top), Northern Street (center), and the colonnade of the Roman temenos(?) (bottom) Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Monument of Antonius |
![]() ![]() The podium of the Monument of Antonius, looking north Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Nymphaeum - damaged in 363 but photo includes 749 collapse |
![]() ![]() The nymphaeum after the removal of the collapsed architectural members of the facade, looking southwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Nymphaneum - damaged in 363 but photo includes 749 collapse |
![]() ![]() Byzantine building abutting the Roman colonnade opposite the nymphaeum, looking southwest. The Byzantine foundations are lower than those of the former Roman portico. Note the early Islamic provisional walls in front of the nymphaeum. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Front of Nymphaneum - Rubble from 749 Quake |
![]() ![]() Rubble from the earthquake of 749 C.E. in front of the nymphaeum, looking west Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
fallen superstructure of nymphaeum due to 749 |
![]() ![]() Architectural members of the superstructure of the nymphaeum as they fell in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking south Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Roman portico after reconstruction |
![]() ![]() The Roman portico after reconstruction, the decorative pool, and Silvanus Street during clearance of the rubble from the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking west. In the center are the Central Monument and the Monument of Antonius. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Palladius Street |
![]() ![]() Palladius Street (center) and the stairway of the Roman temple, with the two monolithic columns as collapsed in the earthquake of 749 C.E. (bottom left), looking southwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Palladius Street and sigma |
![]() ![]() Palladius Street and the sigma, looking southwest. At the top are the theater and the western bathhouse, and at the bottom are the temple and the nymphaeum. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Palladius Street and the sigma |
![]() ![]() The sigma and Palladius Street, looking east. Note the area of the Byzantine agora southeast of the street (center). Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Byzantine agora |
![]() ![]() The walls, stylobate, and oil-shale pavement of the Byzantine agora, looking north, On the right is the apse of the Roman basilica Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Roman colonnade/Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() The Roman colonnade after reconstruction, looking southeast. Lining it on the northeast are the Roman decorative pool (partially excavated) and Silvanus Street. The rubble for the earthquake of 749 CE and the Umayyad shops are preserved in the southeast (top). Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() Silvanus Street, the colonnade of the Roman portico, the decorative pool, and the partially reconstructed Umayyad shops, looking southwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Roman colonnade |
![]() ![]() The Roman colonnade and the northeast wing of the eastern bathhouse (bottom), looking northeast. Between them are three columns of Silvanus Hall. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Collapsed Columns on Valley Street |
![]() ![]() Columns collapsed on Valley Street in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking southwest. Note the Umayyad walls that narrowed the street before the earthquake and the Abbasid building on top of the collapse (top right). Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Umayyad pottery kiln - folded pavement and slumped wall |
![]() ![]() Umayyad pottery kiln installed on a mosaic floor of a Byzantine shop, south of Palladius Street Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Collapsed facade of Umayyad shops on Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() Silvanus Street during excavation and reconstruction, looking north. Note the collapse of the facade of the Umayyad shops and the arcade on the street Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Rear wall of Umayyad shops on Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() The rear wall of the Umayyad shops, blocking the Roman colonnade along Silvanus Street, looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Sunken pavement on Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() Succession of layers near the southeast end of Silvanus Street, looking southeast. The lower courses of the facade of the Umayyad shops can be seen cutting the mosaic pavement of the earlier Silvanus Hall. The mosaic was laid on top of the rather loose soil and ashes with which the Roman pool had been filled, and which later sunk along with the mosaic. The steps on the edge of the pool are seen on the far end of the pool (top); their shape can also be discerned on the northeast (left) through the margins of the mosaic that remained on their original level. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Collapsed arcade of portico on Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() Silvanus Street, the partially reconstructed facade of the Umayyad shops, and the arcade of the portico as collapsed in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Umayyad coin hoard from Silvanus Street |
![]() ![]() Umayyad gold dinars found in a shop near Silvanus Street, buried under the collapse of 749 C.E. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Silvanus Street during the removal of the rubble rom the earthquake of 749 C.E. |
![]() ![]() Silvanus Street during the removal of the rubble from the earthquake of 749 C.E., showing remains of the later line of Umayyad shops on the northwest side (left), looking southeast, and pedestals of the Roman colonnade before the anastylosis (right) Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
Fallen Columns near Nymphaneum (?) |
![]() ![]() ‘The deafening roar of devastation’: fallen columns at the crossroads of Baysan; note the impact of the column on the street paving (Walmsley). Walmsley (2007) |
Walmsley (2007) |
Pre and Post 749 levels at Valley Street |
![]() ![]() Post-749 buildings at Baysān located above the earthquake destruction level of Valley Street (Fig. 4.4 [20]); the underlying destruction level can be seen on the left (Alan Walmsley). Blanke and Walmsley (2022) |
Blanke and Walmsley (2022) |
The collapse of the roof of the Bet She'an odeum and the partial destruction of the theater were attributed to the 363 CE earthquake. A major wave of construction in the city center is thought to be related to earthquake damage (Foerster and Tsafrir 1988:18, 15-32; Foerster and Tsafrir 1992a:11-12; Foerster and Tsafrir 1992b; Foerster 1993; Atrash 2003:VI; Mazor and Najjar 2007:14,17,55-56,70,187).Tsafrir and Foester (1997:108-109) discussed the 363 CE earthquake at Bet She'an
The excavations have shown that Scythopolis was damaged by the famous earthquake of the year 363 C.E. Beshan is mentioned as partly destroyed in a Syriac manuscript [Letter attributed to Cyril] that gives a list of the ruined settlements in Palestine by name. The excavations support the information given in the source that the city was only partially destroyed. The damage has been discerned mainly through the rebuilding of several Roman monuments in various locations at the site. The stratigraphy, the similar character of the rebuilding, and the distribution of ruined or renovated monuments all over the city center have led us to the conclusion that the monuments were damaged at the same time, most likely by an earthquake. The reconstruction of the monuments after the earthquake was somewhat inferior to the original second-century construction, but the classical character of the restoration proves that the classical tradition was still alive in the late fourth century.
The fate of each individual monument, whether restored or left in ruins, is significant, as the act of reconstruction and the extent of investment in each of the public buildings reflect the order of priorities of the citizens, the city council, the provincial administration, and the metropolitan bishop.104
... The nymphaeum, next to the temple, was severely damaged during the earthquake and then rebuilt "from the foundations" by the governor (archon) Artemidorus, the περίβλεπτος (spectabilis) comes. This information is supplied by a monumental inscription incised on the decorated architrave above the podium in the central niche of the nymphaeum (Fig. 22).110 The date of the rebuilding is unknown, but the fact that the inscription is adorned by crosses shows that it could not have been incised before the mid-fourth century.Footnotes104 An inscription on a large limestone slab was found near the theater (the original provenance is unclear) with an inscription saying that the city was renovated (άνενεώθη) in the days of the Metro(politan) Ablabius; Mazor, ESI 6 (1987-88), 22. The text refers to the restoration of the city (ή πόλις) in general; thus it is reasonable to connect it with the restoration of buildings in Scythopolis after the earthquake of 363 C.E. If the title of Ablabius means that he was the metropolitan bishop of the province of Palaestina Secunda (not to be confused with the governor, Taurus Syncletius Ablabius, mentioned in another inscription), we have an indication, dated no earlier than the foundation of the province in the late 4th or early 5th century, of the involvement of church leaders in municipal matters.
110 For the inscription of the nymphaeum, see Foerster and Tsafrir, ESI 6 (1987-88), 27-28. Artemidorus' high rank of peribleptos or spectabilis suggests that he was the governor of Palestine before its division into three parts and the foundation of Palaestina Secunda. As he was active around 400 (and no later than 404; see below), we may conclude that the division of Palestine took place some time between 400 and 409, the date of the edict mentioning the three Palestines (CTh 7.4.30). The date given by Malalas, Chronographia 13 (ed. Dindorf, 347), that relates this reorganization of Palestine to the days of Theodosius I (379-395 c.E.) seems, therefore, too early. Still, it is possible that Artemidorus gained his high rank for his personal virtues, with no relation to his appointment in a province of lower status, but such an interpretation seems to us less likely.
We cannot point to any specific event that may have harmed Scythopolis in the late period of Justinian and that might explain the absence of building inscriptions postdating that period (except for the rebuilding of the lepers' bathhouse by Bishop Theodorus in 558/9 and perhaps the foundation of the Monastery of the Lady Mary before 553 or before 567).258 One significant additional natural disaster was an earthquake, the exact date of which is still unknown; it happened some time after the foundation of Silvanus Hall (and probably the Byzantine agora) and before the building of the Umayyad street of shops. We tend to date the earthquake, on the basis of general archaeological circumstances, somewhere between the end of the sixth century and the second half of the seventh. This earthquake caused the destruction of Silvanus Hall; all the columns in the southwest part of the hall were found collapsed in the same direction, in a way that leaves no doubt about the cause of the destruction (other columns and piers were taken away by the Umayyad builders, and thus we are unaware of how they collapsed). The earthquake rubble was covered by a layer of debris, beneath the floor level of the later, Umayyad, building. It seems likely that the same earthquake caused the collapse of the porticoes of the Byzantine agora, the portico of the sigma, and most probably the columns of Palladius Street. As mentioned above (pp. 125, 137-38), the drums of the columns were arranged in rows across the street and its sidewalks (Figs. 60, 61), perhaps creating agricultural terraces and provisional buildings, some time before the earthquake, concealing the pavement of Palladius Street and totally preventing any use of the street, even as a dirt road (although the large drainage channel underneath it continued to function). We tend to date this stage of terracing, together with the use of the sigma as a Muslim cemetery, to the very beginning of the eighth century. On the other hand, a follis of Justin II (565-578 c.E.) was found in a section made beneath the pavement of Palladius Street, indicating that the street was used and the pavement of the street was repaired, in that section, no earlier than 565 C.E. This earthquake, which is apparently not mentioned in the lists of earthquakes, affected the city but did not cause total destruction. The most important difference between this earthquake and that of 363 is that the earlier earthquake created a challenge that was vigorously met by the city authorities and by governors such as Artemidorus, who rebuilt many of the ruined monuments and added new ones. The later earthquake struck a town that could recruit neither the resources nor the motivation to respond to the damage with the necessary enterprise.Blanke and Walmsley (2022) described (primarily rebuilding) archaeoseismic evidence at Bet She'an (Baysan)Footnotes258 see above, note 79, 140
79 The earliest dated inscription probably refers to the year 553/4 C.E. (Fitzgerald, Sixth Century Monastery, 16), but it is clear that the foundation took place some time before that date. Fitzgerald also considers the date of 568/9, which is also supported by M. Avi-Yonah, "Mosaic Pavements in Palestine," QDAP 2 (1932), 143. If this is correct, the earliest dated inscription is the burial epitaph of the year 567: Fitzgerald, Sixth Century Monastery
140 M. Avi-Yonah, "The Bath of the Lepers at Scythopolis," IEJ 13 (1963), 325-26.
The severe impact of the 659 earthquake is more obvious at Baysān, given the extent of excavations there. As at Fiḥl, post-earthquake rebuilding programs focussed on freeing space and enabling civic recovery programs in response to post-earthquake expectations on the rebuilding of urban infrastructure, economic opportunities and the revitalisation of community belonging. One informative case was the complete collapse of the sixth-century civic basilica on Silvanus Street (Fig. 4.4 [16]), and its replacement on the south side of the street by a string of twenty new shops set behind arched colonnades (Fig. 4.8).55 The discovery of two mosaic inscriptions from a fallen portal in the south colonnade identified construction as commissioned by the Caliph Hishām b. 'Abd al-Malik (r. 724–743) and implemented by the governor ('amīr) of the Jund al-Urdunn.56 Other public buildings, outdated and weakened by tectonics, lost any remnant of their original function; rather, their value was measured in reusable building stone and as suitable locations for large pottery and linen workshops in need of easy access and water supplies. In this way the theatre (Fig. 4.4 [1]), east and west baths (Fig. 4.4 [17 and 6]), the agora (Fig. 4.4 [14]) and former Caesarion (Fig. 4.4 [7]) were given new purpose unrelated to their original role. At the same time, market activity along the streets was maintained with new rows of shops reclaiming derelict areas and infilling open zones, for which the uneven stone paving of narrowed streets was resurfaced to favour the hooves and feet of work animals – mules, donkeys, horses, oxen and camels – and to protect the precious cargos they carried.57 Hence gravel and earth layers over streets were often intentional interventions, not a mark of decline.Langgut et al (2015) report possible archeoseismic evidence for the Jordan Valley Quake at Bet Sh 'ean citing Bar-Nathan and Atrash (2011:8, 153.154, table 4.4).Footnotes55 Tsafrir and Foerster, ‘Urbanism at Scythopolis’, 138–139. Arched street colonnades also feature at early eighth century Anjar, a new foundation in the Biqā valley of Lebanon; Finster, ‘Researches in Anjar’, 210–212.
56 Khamis, ‘Two wall mosaic inscriptions’, 159–176; the south colonnade flaned the back wall of the marketplace and was part of a second building phase; unclear is the structure to which the colonnade and portal faced.
57 Wilkinson, Jerusalem Pilgrims, 32, 106, carts and wagons were rare; major role of camels: Kraemer, Excavations at Nessana. Volume 3, 209–211; restorative surfacing of streets with gravel, earth and plaster is documented at Jarash, Fiḥl and Ṣaffūriah/Sepphoris; Fihl: Hennessy et al., ‘Preliminary report’, 299–300. Ṣaffūriah: Weiss, ‘Sepphoris’, 202.
Fitzgerald (1931:7) uncovered three Byzantine houses that had collapsed and burned in the early 7th century, sealing coins of Anastasius I, Justin II, Maurice Tiberius. and Phocas beneath their destruction debris. a temporal span ca. 491-610.Such damage could have also been the result of the Byzantine-Sassanian War of 602-628 CE.
In the Byzantine monastery at Beth-shan, gold coins of Heraclius (610- 641) were sealed beneath similar collapse debris Fitzgerald (1939:2) .
On January 18, 749 C.E., Bet Shean was completely destroyed by an enormous earthquake, well documented in literary sources and archaeological finds. Remains of the collapse were found everywhere in the excavation. In many places the survivors, or perhaps squatters, returned to the ruined houses and settled on top of the debris. No serious effort was made to restore the old buildings, let alone the streets and monuments. From the archaeological point of view, it is fairly easy to distinguish between the layers beneath the earthquake debris and the new buildings above it. Incidentally, the destructive earthquake occurred in the last year of the rule of the Umayyad dynasty, providing a convenient distinction between the medieval, Abbasid, and Fatimid strata above the earthquake debris and the Byzantine and early Islamic strata beneath it. Moreover, the Abbasid buildings after 749 C.E. were built in the style that had been widely used in the earlier Umayyad period; it is likely that many of these settlers were the people who had lived on the site before the earthquake. It is therefore legitimate to consider the rustic post-earthquake structures as representative of the character of Bet Shean before the earthquake.Walmsley (2001:57) dates construction of the market (on Silvanus Street where the coin hoard was found ?) to the time of Hisham (AD 724-743). Walmsley (2007) characterized Bet She'an as being
utterly flattenedby the earthquake
with the still-standing monumental architecture of the Roman and late antique city obliterated by the ferocity of the tremor (fig. 10)
Effect | Location | Image(s) | Description |
---|---|---|---|
collapse of the roof of the odeum | odeum (8)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
|
partial destruction of the theater | theater (1)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() The Roman theater, looking east (after Mazor and Bar-Nathan, Qadmoniot 107—8 [1994], 122) Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
nymphaeum severely damaged and rebuilt from the foundations |
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() The left part of the inscription engraved on a second-century decorated architrave mentioning the governor Artemidorus and the construction of the nymphaeum Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
Damaged Statues ? | found in the hypocaust of the eastern bathhouse (25) but this would not have been where they originally stood![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Headless statue of Aphrodite as found in the hypocaust of the eastern bathhouse Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
Effect | Location | Image(s) | Description |
---|---|---|---|
destruction of Silvanus Hall | Silvanus Hall (26)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
|
collapse of the porticoes of the Byzantine agora ? | Byzantine agora (20)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
|
collapse of the portico of the sigma ? | sigma (7)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
|
collapse of the columns of Palladius Street ? | Palladius Street (6)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Drums of the columns of Palladius Street, terracing the area of the street and its northwest sidewalk, looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() Drums of the columns of Palladius Street, terracing the northwest sidewalk of the street, looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
Effect | Location | Image(s) | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Storefront Collapse on Sylvanus Street |
Southeast end of Sylvanus Street![]() ![]() Segment of the remains near the southeast end of Silvanus Street, showing the collapsed shops and arcade after the earthquake of 749 C.E. (after Foerster and Tsafrir, ESI 11 [1992], fig. 45)
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Silvanus Street, the partially reconstructed facade of the Umayyad shops, and the arcade of the portico as collapsed in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
Fallen Column | Sylvanus street near
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 ![]() ![]() Palladius Street (center) and the stairway of the Roman temple, with the two monolithic columns as collapsed in the earthquake of 749 C.E. (bottom left), looking southwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
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Fallen superstructure of nymphaeum |
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Architectural members of the superstructure of the nymphaeum as they fell in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking south Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
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Collapses at the nymphaeum |
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() The nymphaeum after the removal of the collapsed architectural members of the facade, looking southwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() Rubble from the earthquake of 749 C.E. in front of the nymphaeum, looking west Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
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Sunken pavement ? | near the southeast end of Sylvanus Street (28)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Succession of layers near the southeast end of Silvanus Street, looking southeast. The lower courses of the facade of the Umayyad shops can be seen cutting the mosaic pavement of the earlier Silvanus Hall. The mosaic was laid on top of the rather loose soil and ashes with which the Roman pool had been filled, and which later sunk along with the mosaic. The steps on the edge of the pool are seen on the far end of the pool (top); their shape can also be discerned on the northeast (left) through the margins of the mosaic that remained on their original level. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
Fallen and columns - inward collapse | Valley Street (17)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Columns collapsed on Valley Street in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking southwest. Note the Umayyad walls that narrowed the street before the earthquake and the Abbasid building on top of the collapse (top right). Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() The main junction of Valley Street (center), Southern Street (later Silvanus Street) (right), and the street leading to the temple (left) in front of the Central Monument (bottom), looking northeast Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
Effect | Location | Image(s) | Description | Intensity |
---|---|---|---|---|
collapse of the roof of the odeum - Displaced Walls | odeum (8)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VII+ | |
partial destruction of the theater - Displaced Walls ? | theater (1)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() The Roman theater, looking east (after Mazor and Bar-Nathan, Qadmoniot 107—8 [1994], 122) Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VII+ |
nymphaeum severely damaged and rebuilt from the foundations- Collapsed Walls |
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() The left part of the inscription engraved on a second-century decorated architrave mentioning the governor Artemidorus and the construction of the nymphaeum Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VIII+ |
Effect | Location | Image(s) | Description | Intensity |
---|---|---|---|---|
destruction of Silvanus Hall - collapsed walls and fallen columns | Silvanus Hall (aka (26)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VIII+ | |
collapse of the porticoes of the Byzantine agora ? - Arch Collapse | Byzantine agora (20)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VI+ | |
collapse of the portico of the sigma ? - Arch collapse | sigma (7)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VI+ | |
collapse of the columns of Palladius Street ? - Fallen columns | Palladius Street (6)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Drums of the columns of Palladius Street, terracing the area of the street and its northwest sidewalk, looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() Drums of the columns of Palladius Street, terracing the northwest sidewalk of the street, looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
V+ |
Effect | Location | Image(s) | Description | Intensity |
---|---|---|---|---|
Storefront Collapse on Sylvanus Street - Collapsed Walls |
Southeast end of Sylvanus Street![]() ![]() Segment of the remains near the southeast end of Silvanus Street, showing the collapsed shops and arcade after the earthquake of 749 C.E. (after Foerster and Tsafrir, ESI 11 [1992], fig. 45)
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Silvanus Street, the partially reconstructed facade of the Umayyad shops, and the arcade of the portico as collapsed in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking northwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VIII+ |
Fallen Column | Sylvanus street near
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 ![]() ![]() Palladius Street (center) and the stairway of the Roman temple, with the two monolithic columns as collapsed in the earthquake of 749 C.E. (bottom left), looking southwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
V+ |
Fallen superstructure of nymphaeum indicating collapsed walls |
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Architectural members of the superstructure of the nymphaeum as they fell in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking south Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
|
VIII+ |
Collapses at the nymphaeum - upper parts of walls collapsed |
nymphaeum (15)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() The nymphaeum after the removal of the collapsed architectural members of the facade, looking southwest Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() Rubble from the earthquake of 749 C.E. in front of the nymphaeum, looking west Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
VIII+ |
Sunken pavement ? - Anthropogenic compacted stratum | near the southeast end of Sylvanus Street (28)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Succession of layers near the southeast end of Silvanus Street, looking southeast. The lower courses of the facade of the Umayyad shops can be seen cutting the mosaic pavement of the earlier Silvanus Hall. The mosaic was laid on top of the rather loose soil and ashes with which the Roman pool had been filled, and which later sunk along with the mosaic. The steps on the edge of the pool are seen on the far end of the pool (top); their shape can also be discerned on the northeast (left) through the margins of the mosaic that remained on their original level. Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
VI-VII+ | |
Fallen and columns - inward collapse | Valley Street (17)![]() ![]() Map of the central area of Scythopolis—Bet Shean (excavations of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
![]() ![]() Columns collapsed on Valley Street in the earthquake of 749 C.E., looking southwest. Note the Umayyad walls that narrowed the street before the earthquake and the Abbasid building on top of the collapse (top right). Tsafrir and Foester (1997) ![]() ![]() The main junction of Valley Street (center), Southern Street (later Silvanus Street) (right), and the street leading to the temple (left) in front of the Central Monument (bottom), looking northeast Tsafrir and Foester (1997) |
|
V+ |
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S. R. Wolff, AJA 100 (1996), 738, 744
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M. Bietak & K. Kopetzky, Synchronisation, Wien 2000, 101–102
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O. Goldwasser & A. Mazar,
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H. M. Niemann, UF 35 (2003), 421–485 (435–439)
K. Szpakowska, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 40 (2003), 113–122
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J. T. Raynor, Social Relationships in Scythopolis/Beth-Shean in the Roman and Byzantine Periods (Ph.D. diss., Duke University, 1982), Ann Arbor, MI 1991
The Bet Shean Excavation Project
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Description | Scan Date | Scanner | Processing | Link to 3D Scan | Downloadable Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2 May 2023 | Jefferson Williams | Area ? | Tilt down to see facade | Right Click to download |
|
2 May 2023 | Jefferson Williams | Area ? | Tilt down to get a good view of the damage | Right Click to download |
|
2 May 2023 | Jefferson Williams | Area ? | Tilt down to get aerial view |
Description | Location | Image | Causitive Earthquake | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fallen Column | Sylvanus Street Near Nymphaneum |
![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
Holy Desert Quake of the Sabbatical Year Sequence - January 749 CE | |
Fallen Architectural Elements | Sylvanus Street Near Nymphaneum |
![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
Holy Desert Quake of the Sabbatical Year Sequence - January 749 CE | |
Collapses in Front of Nymphaneum | Sylvanus Street Near Nymphaneum |
![]() ![]() Screenshot from 3D Lidar Scan by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
Holy Desert Quake of the Sabbatical Year Sequence - January 749 CE | See 3D Scan |
Collapsed Storefronts | Sylvanus Street |
![]() ![]() Screenshot from 3D Lidar Scan by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
Holy Desert Quake of the Sabbatical Year Sequence - January 749 CE | See 3D Scan |
Broken Corners | Theater |
![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
Undated | |
Deformed Arch | Structure just south of the Park Entrance |
![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
Undated | |
Deformed Arch Axis Direction - 203° | Structure just south of the Park Entrance |
![]() ![]() Photo by Jefferson Williams - 2 May 2023 |
Undated |
kmz | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
Right Click to download | Master Bet She'an kmz file | various |