Beth Yerah/al-Sinnabra

Transliterated Name	Source	Name
Beth Yerah	Hebrew	בית ירח‎
Khirbet al-Karak	Arabic	خربة الكرك
Sennabris	Hebrew	סנבראי
al-Sinnabra	Hebrew	צינבריי ?
al-Sinnabra	Arabic
Sinn en-Nabra	Arabic	سينن ينءنابرا
Philoteria	Ancient Greek	φιλοτέρα
Sennabris	Ancient Greek
Sinnabri	Aramaic
Senbra	Early Frankish
Ablm-bt-Yrh	Canaanite
Ablm	Canaanite

Introduction

Beth Yerah is located ~6 km. south of Tiberias where the Sea of Galilee drains into the Jordan River. The site shows signs of habitation from The Early Bronze Age until the Arab periods (Ruth Hestrin in Stern et al, 1993). The adjacent twin city of Al-Sinnabra contains the remains of a Qasr built by Mu'awiya I - the first Umayyad Caliph. Unfortunately, the Qasr was thoroughly dismantled after its abandonment thus obscuring much potential archeoseismic evidence. There are no roof tiles, floor deposits, or collapse deposits - virtually nothing remains above foundation levels (Raphael Greenberg, personal communication, 2021). In addition, earlier excavations in the 1940's and 1950's removed soil layers on top of the Qasr which led to a loss of untold quantities of evidence from the uppermost soil layers and severed the connection between walls and floors, fills and debris layers Da'adli (2017:133). Although a detailed artifact inventory was prepared from these earlier excavations, almost all post-Hellenistic finds from the layer atop the Qasr's foundations appear to have been lost Da'adli (2017:133).

Maps, Aerial Views and Plans

al-Sinnabra

Aerial Views

al-Sinnabra in Google Earth

al-Sinnabra

click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth
al-Sinnabra on govmap.gov.il

al-Sinnabra

click on image to explore this site on a new tab in govmap.gov.il

Plans

Normal Size

Fig. 8.2 Detailed plan

Plan 8.2

Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace

JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort

Da'adli (2017)

of the al-Sinnabra palace from Da'adli (2017)
Fig. 1 Areas excavated

Figure 1

Aerial view of the 2007 excavation area, looking south.

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

at al-Sinnabra in 2007 and 2009 from Greenberg and Paz (2010)

Magnified

Fig. 8.2 Detailed plan

Plan 8.2

Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace

JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort

Da'adli (2017)

of the al-Sinnabra palace from Da'adli (2017)
Fig. 1 Areas excavated

Figure 1

Aerial view of the 2007 excavation area, looking south.

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

at al-Sinnabra in 2007 and 2009 from Greenberg and Paz (2010)

Beth Yerah

Maps

Normal Size

Fig. 2.1 Early Bronze I Sites

Fig. 2.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 3.1 Early Bronze II and III Sites

Fig. 3.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 4.1 Intermediate Bronze Sites

Fig. 4.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 5.2 Middle Bronze Sites

Fig. 5.2

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 6.1 Late Bronze Sites

Fig. 6.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)

Magnified

Fig. 2.1 Early Bronze I Sites

Fig. 2.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 3.1 Early Bronze II and III Sites

Fig. 3.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 4.1 Intermediate Bronze Sites

Fig. 4.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 5.2 Middle Bronze Sites

Fig. 5.2

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)
Fig. 6.1 Late Bronze Sites

Fig. 6.1

Map of sites mentioned in this chapter

Greenberg (2019)

from Greenberg (2019)

Aerial Views

Beth Yerah in Google Earth

Beth Yerah

click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth
Beth Yerah on govmap.gov.il

Beth Yerah

click on image to explore this site on a new tab in govmap.gov.il

Phasing

General Chronology of post Bronze age structures

Discussion

Plans

Normal Size

Fig. 8.2 Detailed plan

Plan 8.2

Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace

JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort

Da'adli (2017)

of the al-Sinnabra palace from Da'adli (2017)
Fig. 1 Areas excavated

Figure 1

Aerial view of the 2007 excavation area, looking south.

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

at al-Sinnabra in 2007 and 2009 from Greenberg and Paz (2010)

Magnified

Fig. 8.2 Detailed plan

Plan 8.2

Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace

JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort

Da'adli (2017)

of the al-Sinnabra palace from Da'adli (2017)
Fig. 1 Areas excavated

Figure 1

Aerial view of the 2007 excavation area, looking south.

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

at al-Sinnabra in 2007 and 2009 from Greenberg and Paz (2010)

Discussion

The principal post-Bronze Age structure exposed on the site comprises a fort enclosing a basilical building, with a bathhouse attached to the enclosure's southern wall ( Da'adli, 2017: 125 ). In addition, there are some ancillary structures outside the fort. Excavations undertaken in the 1950's established a seventh-century CE terminus post quem for the central fortified structure and an eighth-century CE terminus post quem for the bathhouse (Da'adli, 2017 citing Greenberg and Paz, 2010). Based on historical sources, the Qasr was first constructed between 639 and 680 CE (Da'adli, 2017:126).

Chronological Evidence from Da'adli (2017) indicates occupation at the Qasr at least into the first half of the 8th century and later in ancillary structures (e.g. the Dar).

Location	Page	Discussion
Basilica	147-153	A limited number of mosaics were found in the Basilica; some of which were defaced (Iconoclasm) suggesting occupation which is dated to the 1st half of the 8th century ^note. ‎
Southern Annex	156-157	Wall 162 (excavated in 2013 as W1698): A wall connecting Tower 2 and the southern addition was first excavated in 1950. As revealed in the 2009 and 2013 excavations, Channel GB 156 (excavated in 2013 as SA 1699) [part of the water system] was built into this wall, which did not have deep foundations. We may therefore assume that both the wall and the channel belong to the renovation phase of the southern annex (Fig. 8.30; Plan 8.8). A post-reform Umayyad coin (Chapter 9: Cat. No. 14) was found in the channel in 2013. The post-reform coin from Channel GB 156/SA 1699 indicates the period of use. Sanchez (2015:324) in Erdkamp, (2015) dates Umayyad post reform fals to after 696/700 CE. ‎
Channel GB 159 (the water system}	158-159	In addition to the post-reform coin described above, from Channel GB 156/SA 1699, an oil lamp was found in one of the short drainage channels (GB 5; Fig. 8.37; see Plan 8.2); it is described as mold-decorated and the excavator proposed an "Arab" date. A complete lamp found in the IAA storerooms may be the artifact in question (see Fig. 8.60:4). This lamp type is dated to the sixth-eighth centuries CE at Jerash, while it was in use until the beginning of the ninth century CE elsewhere (Hadad 2002:68-71). Near Channel GB 5 and W4 a buff handle dated to the eighth—eleventh centuries CE was found (Fig. 8.60:3; Stacey 2004:130-132). The rim of a white-painted gray bag-shaped storage jar, dated to the fifth-eighth centuries CE, was discovered in a pit just north of the southern fortification wall (Fig. 8.60:5; Stacey 2004:126). The excavations of 2009-2010 within the enclosure yielded a mere handful of small ceramic fragments, all of either buff-ware or white-splashed jars.‎
Western Annex	157	Three rectangular rooms were uncovered on the western side of the basilica, numbered GB 102, GB 103 and GB 104, from north to south (see Plan 8.2). A small rectangular room abuts the western wall of Room GB 102. Channel GB 160 [the water system] splits off from Channel GB 159 [the water system] and enters the annex to Room GB 102 from the south, exiting through its western wall. The channel and the walls appear to have been built together, in a single stage (Fig. 8.32). Glazed pottery was found 0.1 m below the top of the walls in Room GB 103. Walmsley (2013:52) states that glazed wares, in Syria-Palestine [were] generally not introduced until the later eighth century at the earliest [and] always represented a small minority in the ceramic assemblage throughout the early Islamic period ‎
Eastern and Northern Annex	157	A stylobate (W51) running parallel to the eastern side of the basilical structure supports a series of built pillar bases (0.9 x 0.6 m), placed at somewhat irregular intervals (2.55, 2.75, 2.80, 2.90 m; Fig. 8.33). This wall is built in the same method as the southern addition.¹² note 12 - The excavator thought the southern rooms and stylobate to be Roman in date. Furthermore, the excavator writes that W19 was built in a different method, and that it is earlier than W51. On May 17,1950, a bronze coin was reported near W51, probably Cat. No. 21 in Chapter 9 - an Umayyad post-reform fals. Sanchez (2015:324) in Erdkamp, (2015) dates Umayyad post reform fals to after 696/700 CE. ‎
Bathhouse	169	Finds from the bathhouse include two Umayyad coins found on the floor of the main hall (Maisler, Stekelis and Avi-Yonah 1952:222) and a chlorite vessel of eighth—tenth-century CE type (Stacey 2004:94) found near the western wall of the bathhouse (Fig. 8.60:6). During the 2009 excavation season, a portion of the northern wall of the frigidarium, which is in effect part of the curtain wall of the fortified enclosure, was sectioned. An Umayyad post-reform coin was found inside the core of the wall (Chapter 9: Cat. No. 15), apparently providing a terminus post quem for both the bath and the fortification. Sanchez (2015:324) in Erdkamp, (2015) dates Umayyad post reform fals to after 696/700 CE. ‎
Kilns	169	Glass slag as well as a glazed ring-base was found inside Kiln GB 73. ‎
Dar Unit	171	Isolated from the main enclosure and the bathhouse, another building or unit was exposed by Delougaz to the north of the fortified enclosure, above the remains of the tri-apsidal Byzantine church. Delougaz attributed the structure to the latest of three main strata, termed `Pre-Church', `Church' and `Post-Church' (Delougaz and Haines 1960: Pl. 18). The pottery from both the Church and Post-Church strata was published together according to types, mixing Umayyad with Byzantine pottery, or sixth—seventh-century CE pottery with eighth—ninth-century CE pottery (Whitcomb 2002:4). Examination of the pottery attributed to Church contexts reveals that it includes wares that should be dated to the eighth century—mainly buff-ware pots decorated with purple/brown paint (Delougaz and Haines 1960: Pl. 37; see this ware in Stacey 2004:130-131). The same ware was recovered in dumps of the 1951-1953 gap-excavations that were partly excavated in 2007 (Fig. 8.60:1, 2). Furthermore, a post-reform Umayyad coin was found on the church floor (Delougaz and Haines 1960: Pl. 47:9). As for contexts that can be ascribed to the Post-Church stratum or to the "Arab building," they contain pottery types dated to the end of the eighth and to the ninth centuries CE (Delougaz and Haines 1960: Pls. 62:1, 44:19, 22; see those wares in Stacey 2004:117-118, 153-157). We therefore may conclude that the church was covered during the eighth century CE in order to build the unit identified by Whitcomb as a dar (auxiliary house or building), and that this unit was in use until the ninth century. ‎

Later remains found at the site provided dateable evidence

Location	Page	Discussion
2-3 rooms over the bathhouse	171	A green glazed rim was found near W1 in Sq 02, which is on the eastern side of the wall. During the cleaning of the walls, an Islamic coin was discovered.²¹ note 21 - Description from December 25, 1945. A coin marked 25/2 or 2512, of Mamluk date, may be the one noted in the diary. See Chapter 9: Cat. No. 29. ‎

As for the constructions of the Qasr and associated structures (there appear to have been multiple constructions), the historical record offers more details, at this point, than those provided by archaeology (Da'adli, 2017:175). However, the archaeology is in agreement with 7th and 8th century dates (Da'adli, 2017:175)).

the earliest material that can be associated with the fortified structure, ceramic, numismatic or otherwise, is consistently attributable to the seventh and eighth centuries CE. This includes the few ceramics—white-painted gray bag-shaped storage jars, buff-ware jugs with plastic knobs attached to the handle, and the molded lamp (Avissar 1996:147-149, 157; Haddad 2002:68-71), the chlorite bowl (Stacey 2004:94) and about 15 coins (see Chapter 9).

The iconophobic defacing of mosaics in the Basilica was dated by Da'adli (2017:176) to the mid 8th century CE which suggests a date for the final renovation of the palace. Although historical sources indicate different phases of settlement at al-Sinnabra, there is little surviving archeological evidence for this (Da'adli, 2017:176). However, there may be more facilites or sections that once were part of a palatial complex that await excavation - e.g. between the Fort and the Dar (Da'adli, 2017:176).

One later structure was a tower (Tower 12) and adjoining fortification walls extending east and north which was described by Da'adli (2017:176).

This unit could be part of some kind of citadel that may have had more towers and walls to the north and east. These might be Ayyubid in date, but hard evidence for such a date is lacking. The manner in which they overlie the earlier remains shows that the earlier, palatial structure was largely dismantled in antiquity.

mid 8th century CE earthquake

Direct unambiguous evidence that one of the 749 CE Sabbatical Year Quakes (the Holy Desert Quake) caused damage to the site was not found as the site had been dismantled down to the foundations long before archaeological excavations began. Greenberg, Tal, and Da'adli (2017:217) described what they saw.

It is not clear, either from historical documents or from the evidence on the ground, what brought Umayyad al-Sinnabra to an end. Whatever the case may be, and whether its abandonment was sudden (in wake of the 749 CE earthquake?) or gradual, by the time the builders of the later structures—particularly of Tower 12 and the enceinte of which it seems to have been a part — came on the scene, the Umayyad remains had disappeared from sight, dismantled down to their foundations.

However, this negative evidence appears to be the evidence that shows that al-Sinnabra was in the epicentral region when the Holy Desert Quake of the Sabbatical Year sequence struck. The complete and total collapse of the structure is what allowed it to be so easily looted. It was no longer a palace. It was a pile of dressed stones - a quarry for any building project in the area. Eventually, every stone was taken. Only the foundation cracks unearthed by Greenberg and Paz (2010) remained to tell the story of it's total destruction.

References

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

Plans

Normal Size

Fig. 8.2 Detailed plan

Plan 8.2

Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace

JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort

Da'adli (2017)

of the al-Sinnabra palace from Da'adli (2017)
Fig. 1 Areas excavated

Figure 1

Aerial view of the 2007 excavation area, looking south.

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

at al-Sinnabra in 2007 and 2009 from Greenberg and Paz (2010)

Magnified

Fig. 8.2 Detailed plan

Plan 8.2

Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace

JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort

Da'adli (2017)

of the al-Sinnabra palace from Da'adli (2017)
Fig. 1 Areas excavated

Figure 1

Aerial view of the 2007 excavation area, looking south.

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

at al-Sinnabra in 2007 and 2009 from Greenberg and Paz (2010)

Discussion

In excavations which took place in 2007 and 2009, Greenberg and Paz (2010) identified what be a foundation crack at the Umayyad Qasr built by Mu'awiya I in Area GB-T

Area GB-T

A new aspect of the 2009 excavations is our attempt to re-excavate and reinterpret the huge fortified complex cleared by Bar-Adon and Guy in the early 1950s but never fully published. Originally identified as a synagogue and then as a Roman or Byzantine fort, the most recent suggestion has been to identify the complex with the Early Islamic palace of al-Sinnabra. The area has been obscured for decades by the thick subtropical vegetation that characterizes the mound. Because the structure was largely dismantled in antiquity, leaving only wall and floor foundations intact, and due to the summary excavation methods used in the original excavations, our principal aim was to identify sealed or otherwise datable contexts, such as foundation trenches and subfloor deposits. Additionally, the surviving portions of the superstructure had to be revisited and recorded.

Thus far, the southwest tower of the enceinte and parts of the southern annex adjoining the large apse have been reinvestigated, two large mosaic floor segments recorded (Fig. 12), and a portion of the central floorbed removed. Some preliminary observations may be made:

The original wall foundations of the external fortifications, the adjoining bathhouse, and the central structure are all equally massive and deep, indicating a high level of investment, similar building concepts in all parts of the complex, and the likelihood that the superstructure was quite substantial.

There is multiple evidence for the existence of at least two building phases in the main structure. The later phase involved wall demolition and replacement, as well as repairs in the mosaic pavements.

We have begun to see evidence of earthquake damage; this could eventually aid in the dating of the structure.
(Fig. 13

Figure 13

Area GB-T, foundations in the southern part of the central palace structure; foundation trenches and evidence for earthquake damage in south wall (at right), looking south.

Greenberg and Paz (2010)

).

A second fortified enclosure was built over part of the main enclosure. This later enclosure was never reported by the excavators.

Although finds are sparse, the Early Islamic dating does appear to be confirmed by coins found beneath the floor of the central hall and in the foundation trench of the bathhouse.

We are therefore confident that the Umayyad palace of al-Sinnabra has been found.

mid 8th century CE earthquake

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description
Huge amounts of collapsed masonry	Tower 3 Plan 8.2 Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort Da'adli (2017)		The area was cleaned by a bulldozer before the excavation [of the 1950's] and most of the topsoil was removed. Huge amounts of collapsed masonry were uncovered before the excavators reached the tower - Da'adli (2017:140)
Foundation cracks	Wall W121 Plan 8.2 Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort Da'adli (2017)	Figure 8.27 Room GB 34, looking south. Wall 122, left, lacks foundations, in contrast to W121 (center) and W120 (right). Scale is in foundation trench of the original eastern wall. Note large crack in right part of W121 (2009 excavations). In Greenberg and Paz (2010) the caption for this photo was: Area GB-T, foundations in the southern part of the central palace structure; foundation trenches and evidence for earthquake damage in south wall (at right), looking south. Da'adli (2017) Figure 8.31 The southern face of W121, looking north. Note crack at right (2010 excavations). Da'adli (2017)	We have begun to see evidence of earthquake damage; this could eventually aid in the dating of the structure. - Greenberg and Paz (2010)
Missing Section of Wall	Umayyad Bathhouse Plan 8.2 Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort Da'adli (2017)	Figure 8.3 Parts of the palace cleaned and partly re-excavated in 2009-2010. At center, the basilica apse and rooms to its south; looking west (photographed in 2015). Da'adli (2017)	the bathhouse clearly abuts the fortification wall, and can be dated to a similar period. A gap visible today between the shared wall with the fortification and the plaster floor foundation in the main hall of the bathhouse cannot be easily explained: it is aligned with the dismantled curtain wall emerging from Tower 1 (see Fig. 8.3) and is most likely the result of stone-robbing for later construction - Da'adli (2017:159) JW: This is easier to see when one looks at Plan 8.2 where in the lower right there is a gap in Wall W57 between Towers 1 and 6.

mid 8th century CE earthquake

Modified by JW from Plan 8.2 from Da'adli (2017)

Deformation Map

Modified by JW from Plan 8.2 from Da'adli (2017)

mid 8th century CE earthquake

Earthquake Archeological Effects chart

Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)

Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description	Intensity
Collapsed Walls - Huge amounts of collapsed masonry	Tower 3 Plan 8.2 Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort Da'adli (2017)		The area was cleaned by a bulldozer before the excavation [of the 1950's] and most of the topsoil was removed. Huge amounts of collapsed masonry were uncovered before the excavators reached the tower - Da'adli (2017:140)	VIII +
Foundation cracks	Wall W121 Plan 8.2 Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort Da'adli (2017)	Figure 8.27 Room GB 34, looking south. Wall 122, left, lacks foundations, in contrast to W121 (center) and W120 (right). Scale is in foundation trench of the original eastern wall. Note large crack in right part of W121 (2009 excavations). In Greenberg and Paz (2010) the caption for this photo was: Area GB-T, foundations in the southern part of the central palace structure; foundation trenches and evidence for earthquake damage in south wall (at right), looking south. Da'adli (2017) Figure 8.31 The southern face of W121, looking north. Note crack at right (2010 excavations). Da'adli (2017)	We have begun to see evidence of earthquake damage; this could eventually aid in the dating of the structure. - Greenberg and Paz (2010)
Collapsed Walls ? - Missing Section of Wall	Umayyad Bathhouse Plan 8.2 Detailed plan of the al-Sinnabra palace JW: Basilica is in the center surrounded by rectangular fortified walls and guard towers at the corners. Bathhouse is bottom right attached to the southern wall of the fort Da'adli (2017)	Figure 8.3 Parts of the palace cleaned and partly re-excavated in 2009-2010. At center, the basilica apse and rooms to its south; looking west (photographed in 2015). Da'adli (2017)	the bathhouse clearly abuts the fortification wall, and can be dated to a similar period. A gap visible today between the shared wall with the fortification and the plaster floor foundation in the main hall of the bathhouse cannot be easily explained: it is aligned with the dismantled curtain wall emerging from Tower 1 (see Fig. 8.3) and is most likely the result of stone-robbing for later construction - Da'adli (2017:159) JW: This is easier to see when one looks at Plan 8.2 where in the lower right there is a gap in Wall W57 between Towers 1 and 6.	VIII +

The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224). If the foundation cracks were caused by an earthquake, local intensity would have likely been higher - perhaps IX-X (9-10).

References

Articles and Books

Bar-Adon, Pessah. "Beth Yerah." Israel Exploration Journal 2 (1952): 142; 3 (1953): 132; 4 (1954): 128-129 ; 5 19955): 273-

Bar-Adon, Pessah. "Beth Yerah." Revue Biblique 62 (1955): S5-S8 .

Delougaz, Pinhas, and Richard C. Haines. A Byzantine Church at Khirbat al-Karak. Oriental Institute Publications, 85. Chicago, i960.

Eisenberg, Emmanuel. "Beth Yerah" (in Hebrew). Hadashot Arkeologiyot (1981): 1-13 .

Greenberg (2005) Tel Bet Yerah Hadashot Arkheologiyot Vol. 117

Greenberg and Paz (2010) Tel Bet Yerah 2007, 2009 Preliminary report Hadashot Arkheologiyot Vol. 122

Greenberg, R. (2019). The Archaeology of the Bronze Age Levant: From Urban Origins to the Demise of City-States, 3700-1000 BCE. India: Cambridge University Press.

Maisler [Mazar], Benjamin, et al. "The Excavations at Beth-Yerah (Khirbet el-Kerak), 1944-1946. " Israel Exploration Journal 2 (1952): 165-173 , 218-229.

Ussishkin, David. "Beth Yerah. " Revue Biblique 75 (1967): 266-268.

Yeivin, Shmuel. Archaeological Activity in Israel (1948-1955). Jerusalem, 1955-

Excavation Reports

Greenberg, R., et al. (2017). Bet Yerah. Volume III, Hellenistic philoteria and Islamic al-Sinnabra the 1933–1986 and 2007–2013 excavations, Israel Antiquities Authority.

Websites

3D Image of Beth Yerah at Sketchfab

Beth Yerah at ASOR

Raphael Greenberg's page at Tel Aviv University

Raphael Greenberg's academia.edu page

Tawfiq Da'adli's academia.edu page

Beth Yerah at BibleWalks.com

Israeli archaeologists identified Caliph Mu’awiya’s Lakeside Palace

Bibliography for Beth Yerah from Stern et al (1993 v.1)

Identification

Schiirer, HJP, I, 228, no. 31

Reeg, Ortsnamen, 58~59, 109~110, 547~548.

Main publication

P. Delougaz and R. C. Haines, A Byzantine Church of Khirbet al-Karak, Chicago 1960. Other studies: L.A. Mayer, IEJ 2 (1952), 183~187

B. Maisler (Mazar) et al., IEJ 2 (1952), 165~173, 218~229

P. Bar-Adon, ibid. 3 (1953), 132

4 (1954), 128~129

5 (1955), 273

id., Roman Frontier Studies 1967, Tel Aviv 1971, 185

P. Delougaz, BASOR 165 (1962), 46~47

J. Mellaart, The Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages in the Near East and Anatolia, Beirut 1966, 73~90

D. Ussishkin, RB 75 (1968), 266~ 268

I. A. Todd (C. H. Gordon Fest.) (Alter Orient und Altes Testament 22), Kevelaer 1973, 181~206

M. Avi-Yonah, Archaeology (Israel Pocket Library), Jerusalem 1974, 68~72

R. Amiran and C. Cohen, Israel Museum News 12 (1976), 61~62

R. Amiran, Anatolia and the Ancient Near East (T. Ozgiic Fest.), Ankara 1989, 9~10

V. Sussman, BASOR 238 (1980), 75~77

D. L. Esse, "Beyond Subsistence: Beth Yeral

l and Northern Palestine in the Early Bronze Age" (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Chicago 1982)

id., EJ 2! (1990), 27*~34*

id., Subsistence, Trade and Social Change in Early Bronze Age Palestine (Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilizations 50), Chicago 1991

L. Ratti, MdB 35 (1984), 38~40

U. Worschech, LA 34 (1984), 445~447

0. Yogev and E. Eisenberg, ESI 4 (1985), 14~16

J.D. Currid, BA 49 (1986), 20~ 24

D. T. Ariel, IEJ 38 (1988), 31~35

Weippert 1988 (Ortsregister)

E. Braun, PEQ 121 (1989), 1~43

C. Burney, L'Urbanisation de Ia Palestine a /'Age du Bronze Ancien (Actes du Colloque d'Emmaiis, 1986

BAR/IS 527, ed. P. de Miroschedji), Oxford 1989, 331~339

H. de Coutenson, ibdid., 317-329.

Bibliography for Beth Yerah from Stern et al (2008)

General

R. Amiran, EI 20 (1989), 196*

id., Aspects of Art and Iconography (Nimet Özgüc Fest.

eds. M. J. Mellink et al.), Ankara 1993, 23–24

A. Mazar, Shnaton: An Annual for Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies 10 (1990), xix–xx

id., Studies in the Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands, Chicago, IL 2001, 447–464

D. R. Edwards, ABD, 1, New York 1992, 699–700

A. T. Oekse, Istanbuler Mitteilungen 43 (1993), 133–146

G. Philip (& D. Baird), Levant 25 (1993), 13–36

id., JMA 12 (1999), 26–57

W. E. Rast, BASOR 292 (1993), 121–122 (Review)

N. Getzov, AJA 100 (1996), 731

id., ESI 18 (1998), 20–21

id. (et al.), Shifting Urban Landscapes during the Early Bronze Age in the Land of Israel, Tel Aviv 2001

id., The 1995 Excavations at Bet Yerah (‘Atiqot), Jerusalem (forthcoming)

R. Greenberg, The Hula Valley from the Beginning of the Early Bronze Age to the End of the Middle Bronze Age IIA (Ph.D. diss.), Jerusalem 1996

id. (& E. Eisenberg), Egypt and the Levant, London 2002, 213–222

id. (& S. Paz), IEJ 54 (2004), 1–23

id. (& Y. Paz), Levant 37 (2005), 81–103

A. H. Joffe, OEANE, 1, New York 1997, 312–214

C. Marro, La Culture du Haut-Euphrate au Bronze Ancien (Varia Anatolica 8), Istanbul 1997

Ceramics and Change, Sheffield 2000

P. De Miroschedji, Chronologie des pays du Caucase et de l’Euphrate aux IVe–IIIe millénaires (Varia Anatolica 9), Paris 2000, 231–254

P. Graham & A. R. Millard, ibid., 279–296

N. Marchetti, ICAANE, 1, Roma 2000, 869–902

M. Peilstöcker, ibid., 1327–1343

K. N. Sowada, ibid., 1527–1540

P. Kaplony, Egypt and the Levant, London 2002, 464–485

O. Negbi, EI 27 (2002), 288*

Z. Winogradov, The Aqueducts of Israel, Portsmouth, RI 2002, 295–304

G. Palumbi, Ancient Near Eastern Studies 40 (2003), 80–133

S. Bunimovitz & R. Greenberg, BASOR 334 (2004), 19–31

L. D. Morenz, ZDPV 120 (2004), 1–12.

The church

H. Goldfus, Tombs and Burials in Churches and Monasteries of Byzantine Palestine (324–628 A.D.), 1–2 (Ph.D. diss.), Ann Arbor, MI 1998, 211–216

A. Ovadiah, Atti del Congresso Internationale di Archeologia Cristiana 13 (1998), 77–96

Y. Tepper, TA 26 (1999), 271–282

B. Bagatti, Ancient Christian Villages of Galilee (SBF Collectio Minor 37), Jerusalem 2001, 57.

The synagogue

D. Milson, LA 41 (1992), 449–454

R. Reich, ‘Atiqot 22 (1993), 137–144

The Umayyad period

D. S. Whitcomb, Al-‘Usur al-Wusta: Bulletin of the Middle East Medievalists 14/10 (2002), 1–8

id., Oriental Institute Annual Report 2002–2003, 81–86.

Wikipedia Pages

Beth Yerah (aka Khirbet Kerak)

from wikipedia

al-Sinnabra

from wikipedia

Misc. Notes

Stratigraphic phasing and radiometric dates for the principal sites of the southern Levant, Early Bronze III

Table 3.1

Stratigraphic phasing and radiometric dates for the principal sites of the southern Levant, Early Bronze III

Greenberg (2019)