Horvat Maʿon (Hebrew) or Tell Maʿin / Khirbet el-Maʿin (Arabic) is an archaeological site located southwest of
Gaza, southwest of Kibbutz
Nirim
Nirim ( he, נִירִים, ''lit.'' Meadows) is a kibbutz in the northwestern Negev in Israel. Located near the border with the Gaza Strip, about 7 kilometers east of Khan Yunis, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In it ...
in the
Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...
, the arid southern portion of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
; in the Roman period, the site is thought to have formed the western boundary of the ''
Limes Palaestinae''.
A different Maon (''
Khirbet Ma'in''), southeast of
Hebron
Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...
, near
Carmel and
Ziph, is mentioned in in the
tribal territory of Judah, and not to be confused with Horvat Maon of the Negev.
Others have sought to place Horvat Maon of the Negev with Beth-baal-meon () and Beth-meon ().
Horvat Maʿon, under the name
Menois, was the capital of Saltus Constantinianus, also known as Saltus Constantiniaces,
an administrative district formed by either
Constantine the Great
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...
or
Constantius II
Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...
.
Excavations there have uncovered the
Maon Synagogue
:''This article deals with the ancient Maon Synagogue from the Negev, not with the ancient Ma'on Synagogue from the Southern Hebron Hills''
The Maon Synagogue is a 6th-century synagogue and archaeological site located in the Negev Desert near Kib ...
, known for its mosaics adorned with various animals and likely built around 600 CE.
"One of the Most Spectacular Mosaic Floors Ever Discovered in Israel was Restored and Renovated and Can Now be Seen by the General Public," (30/3/09), Israel Antiquities Authority. The date of the mosaic has been alternatively given as the first half of the 6th century, based on its style.
[Negev, Avraham & Gibson, Shimon. ''Mosaics''. Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005, pp. 314-315.]
References
{{israel-stub
Archaeological sites in Israel
Geography of Southern District (Israel)
Hebrew Bible cities