In the Negev Highlands, at
the edge of the Avdat plateau and above the Nahal Tzin
basin, is the ancient city of Avdat . The desert climate and only 80 mm rain
a year were no barrier, in every stream valley and on every mountain slope they
developed traditional agriculture, based on the collection of surface runoff in
hidden cisterns.
The city of Avdat
was founded in the 3rd century BCE . It was station number 62 along the Incense Route .
The name is from the Nabatean king Oboda (30-9 BCE ), who was buried there. It was destroyed by
marauding Arab tribes in the second half of the first century CE. Later, the
last Nabatean king, Rabbel (70-106 CE), rebuilt Avdat. In 106 CE the Roman Empire took over the region, and Avdat continued to
flourish until the seventh-century Arab conquest. It became part of the road and defense system of the Roman Empire ,
developing residential quarters and public buildings.
Avdat reached the height of
its development during the Byzantine period (4-7th centuries CE),
with the construction of churches and numerous other buildings and the
expansion of agriculture. At its peek in
the Byzantine period, the population was about 3000. Viticulture became an important part of the
city’s agriculture from the 4th century CE. Cisterns were hewn, and many of the caves on
the slope reused, mainly as workshops to process and store agricultural
produce. The city was finally abandoned
after an earthquake around 630 CE.
The Nabateans who inhabited
Avdat were an ancient people of Arab origin.
They were originally nomadic tent-dwellers and later moved to permanent
settlements. Their livelihood was based
on commerce in the incense and spices they purchased in southern Arabia and the Far East ,
which they transported by camel caravans to Gaza on the shores of the Meditterannean for
export. In addition they also marketed
asphalt from the Dead Sea to the Egyptians for
mummification and later to the Romans.
The Nabatean kingdom, whose
capital was Petra ,
included northern Arabia , Moab , the Hauran, the Negev and Sinai.
In 106 CE the annexation of the Nabatean kingdom to the Roman Provincia
Arabia did no harm to their economic development and their cities continued to
flourish.
During the Byzantine period
settlement in the Negev reached its peak –
roads were developed and fortresses constructed, churches were built and
agricultural areas created. The
Nabateans gradually adopted Christianity, and inscriptions in Greek replaced
the use of Nabatean script. The major
plague that struck the Negev of the 6th
century CE, the Persian conquest in 614-628 and the Arab takeover of the Negev in 636 brought about a decline in the security and
economic situation of the Negev and the cities
were abandoned.
On the side of the hill
remains of the first Nabatean settlement of Avdat can be seen. These are stones laid in the shape of tents,
which were probably used to secure their tents, and many ceramic shards.
Roman
Remains
The
Burial Cave
This is a burial cave dug
into the rock, dating from the 3rd century CE. The inner room contains more than 20 burial
niches. At the front of the cave was an
entry structure, and on the lintel are reliefs depicting the sun, the moon and
an altar. Excavators used to believe the
cave was the burial place of King Oboda.
However, later 3 Greek inscriptions with women’s names were found,
raising the possibility that those buried here were priestesses of Aphrodite.
The
Southern Villa
This is a lone villa on the
southern end of the Avdat ridge. Its
many rooms were built around a square courtyard, at the centre of which is a
cistern.
The
Roman Tower
This structure is from the 3rd
century CE and is notable for its special architecture. Above the entrance and inscription in Greek
reads: “With good fortune Zeus Obada, help Irenius
who built this tower with good augers in the year 188 with the help of the
architect Wailos of Petra and Avtichos”.
Years were counted from the
establishment of Provincia Arabia in 106 CE, and therefore the tower’s
construction was in 294 CE. It was
apparently a lookout tower.
The
Army Camp
This was uncovered in
excavations in 1977 and 1999. It is 100
x 100 metres and contained 8 long multi-chambered structures that could
accommodate a few hundred soldiers. At
the centre of each side was a gate, and guard towers protruded along the walls.
No comments:
Post a Comment