Abstract:

Rehovot-in-the-Negev (Kh. Ruheibeh) was one of the largest desert cities in the central Negev during the Nabatean-Byzantine periods. This volume presents the final report of the excavation of the northern church, in addition to an introduction to the history, identification, and general description. The 5th-century church is of the triapsidal type and has a large crypt underneath its chancel. It is well dated by burial inscriptions and rich in artifacts and architectural fragments. The report includes chapters on the stratigraphy and architecture of the church, architectural fragments, pottery, glass, and coins, as well as publication of more than forty Greek inscriptions, the Arabic inscriptions, and the human skeletal remains found in the church. This amply illustrated volume is to date the most comprehensive publication devoted to the excavation of a single church in the Negev.