Khirbet Beit Lei or Beth Loya is an archaeological
tell in the
Judean lowlands 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 ...
. It is located about 5.5 km southeast of
Tel Lachish
Lachish ( he, לכיש; grc, Λαχίς; la, Lachis) was an ancient Canaanite and Israelite city in the Shephelah ("lowlands of Judea") region of Israel, on the South bank of the Lakhish River, mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. Th ...
and ten miles west-northwest 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 ...
,
on a hill 400 m above sea level.
An Iron Age II burial cave was discovered to contain an inscription with one of the oldest known appearances in Hebrew of the name "Jerusalem".
Archaeology
Surveys
Khirbet Beit Lei was first
surveyed
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the land, terrestrial Two-dimensional space#In geometry, two-dimensional or Three-dimensional space#In Euclidean geometry, three-dimensional positions of ...
by
R.A.S. Macalister of the
Palestine Exploration Fund, who found a
rock-cut chapel and burial caves (published 1901).
Between 1972 and 1973, the site was surveyed by Yehuda Dagan.
During this survey, no Iron Age remains were found.
The survey further revealed that the site had been settled from the Hellenistic period until at least the
Mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
period.
A number of hewn subterranean installations, including
columbaria, olive presses, water cisterns, quarries, a stable and hideaways are attributed to the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Two Iron Age II burial caves
During the construction of a road in 1961, an ancient burial complex was discovered in the eastern part of the site.
[ An archaeological expedition by the ]Israel Antiquities Authority
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, he, רשות העתיקות ; ar, داﺌرة الآثار, before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of ...
led by Joseph Naveh
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
(1928-2011) of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found two Iron Age II multi-chamber burial caves.[ One cave consisted of three chambers cut into the chalky limestone.][ Eight skeletons lay on limestone ledges around the sides of the chambers, untouched since being laid to rest.][ A ring, a bronze earring and a bronze plaque were also found in the cave, which contained carved drawings and inscriptions.][ Three of the drawings were of human figures: a man holding what might be a lyre, a man raising his arms, possibly in a prayer gesture, and a man wearing a headdress.][ Two sailing vessels were sketched on another wall.][ Two other figures may be an encampment and a tent.][ The ships lead scholars to believe that the chambers were reused by ]Israelite
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
refugees fleeing the Chaldaean armies in the sixth century BCE, probably Levite
Levites (or Levi) (, he, ''Lǝvīyyīm'') are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. The surname ''Halevi'', which consists of the Hebrew de ...
s.[ Ships are a common motif in ]ancient Near East
The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...
ern burial chambers. The other cave had been looted at some point, and analysis revealed that the interred individuals belonged to a group of different origin than the first group.[
Ancient Hebrew inscriptions, known as the Khirbet Beit Lei graffiti, were found in the caves.
]
1979-1983 caves investigation
From 1979 to 1983, Yotam Tepper
Yotam Tepper is an Israeli archaeologist who discovered the Megiddo church complex, the oldest Christian house of worship ever discovered, under the modern Megiddo prison. Dated to the middle of the 3rd century AD, it is believed to be the earlie ...
and Y. Shahar the caves at the site.
Byzantine basilica and nearby structures
In 1983 and 1986 Joseph Patrich and Yoram Tsafrir
Yoram Tsafrir ( he, יורם צפריר; 30 January 1938 – 23 November 2015) was an Israeli archaeologist. His research has included the Byzantine influence on ancient synagogues, demography of Palestine in the Byzantine period, mosaics at Ho ...
excavated a basilica church at the site, as well as an olive press, a wine press and a burial cave nearby, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
. The church is thought to have been built around the year 500 CE, and to have functioned well into the 8th century. The church complex was thought to be on the outskirts of a village. The mosaic floors of the church were defaced, reflecting iconoclastic activity, but were then repaired.
2005 excavations
The excavations at the site were renewed in 2005 under the direction of the Oren Gutfeld, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with funding from a Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...
non-profit foundation.Beit Lehi Foundation, Beit Lehi (Horbat Beit Loya)—The 2008 Excavation Seasons
. This foundation, which sponsored the excavation, believed there was a link between the site and the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...
character Lehi. The religious driven hypothesis of this foundation is disputed by both Mormon and non-Mormon archaeologists. See . The archaeological reports of the foundation's web-site, however, are valuable academic reports written by the members of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem expedition. See also Hershel Shanks, ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', November/December 1988, p. 19 (quoting Frank Moore Cross, who said the link was "based on a linguistic blunder").
References
Further reading
* (p
274
*
* (p
365
* Suder, Robert W.
Hebrew inscriptions: a classified bibliography
External links
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 20
IAA
Wikimedia commons
(named ''Beit Leyi''; N of Al-Dawayima
Al-Dawayima, Dawaymeh or Dawayma ( ar, الدوايمة) was a Palestinian town, located in the former Hebron Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, and in what is now the Lakhish region, some 15 kilometres south-east of Kiryat Gat.Zafrir Rinat‘Bu ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beit Lei
Ancient Israel and Judah
Archaeological sites in Israel
Buildings and structures in Southern District (Israel)