Rubba

Rebbo or Horvat Rebbo (, lit. "Rebbo ruins"), alternative spellings: Robbo, Ribbo; in Arabic Khurbet Rubba (lit. "Rubba ruins"), is an ancient site in Israel, mentioned by Eusebius in his ''Onomasticon'' as possibly referring to a site by a similar name in the Book of Joshua. The site, which is now a ruin, sits on a hill above sea level, in the Shephelah region, and is now part of the Adullam-France Park, maintained by the Jewish National Fund (KKL). It lies about 1.5 km. to the west of Aderet as the crow flies, and about northeast of Beit Guvrin National Park.

The site is quite extensive and contains tunnels believed to have been in use during the Bar Kokhba revolt. Tombs from the Second Temple period, agricultural features and cisterns (now covered with iron gratings) can be seen on the site. Many lentisk mastic trees (''Pistacia lentiscus'') and buckthorns (''Rhamnus lycioides'') cover the site.

In ancient sources

Eusebius (4th century) writes in his ''Onomasticon'' that in his day it was a village, called in grc-x-koine, Ῥοββώ and situated "in the territory of Eleutheropolis (Beit Gubrin) to the east.", and the other in the territorial domain of Judah, called he, הרבה, Rabbah. Both towns are described in Jerome's version of the Onomasticon under the same entry (s.v. ''Rabboth''), although the entry is marked by a lacuna in the Greek Vatican manuscript. Some have cast doubt on V.L. Trumper's view in ''Historical Sites in Central Palestine'' (1918) that Rebbo, located 3 west of Adullam, is to be recognised in the name mentioned in the list of Thutmose III, and which place is also called / in the el-Amarna tablets. According to these sources, the king of Jerusalem complained before Pharaoh that certain people from Gezer, from Gath and Keilah had conspired together and forcibly taken away lands belonging to . The site's current name was fixed by the Government Naming Committee in Israel.

Archaeological surveys

Victor Guérin (1863)

French explorer, Victor Guérin, visited the site, which he called ''Khirbet Rebba'', in 1863, and wrote of his impressions of the site: "The ruins are fairly large and cover the summit and slopes of a hill. Many cisterns and vaults embedded in the rock attest to its great antiquity. The houses, of very small dimensions, were for the most part constructed of medium-sized and generally well squared stones; they litter the ground everywhere with their debris. An edifice, also overthrown from top to bottom, seems to have been a church, which proves that, in the Christian era, this town was still inhabited. Six sections of mutilated columns lie in this place. I also notice, on a beautiful rectangular block, two carved Greek crosses."

Conder and Kitchener (1878)

The ruin appears in Conder and Kitchener's 1878 Survey of Palestine map under the name ''Khurbet Rubba''. They noted under "Rabba" that it was a "city of Judah, mentioned with Kirjath Jearim (Joshua XV. 60). In the ''Onomasticon'' a place called Rebbo is mentioned as east of Eleutheropolis, which might be the same. A good-sized ruin named ''Rubba'' is found in the low hills south of the valley of Elah, north-east of Beit Jibrin, which would be in a suitable position for the early Christian site." They found there "Caves, cisterns, and heaps of stones, ruined walls, bases of pillars and shafts much worn, two lintel stones with crosses, both measuring about 7 feet by 2½ feet."

Aapeli Saarisalo (pre-1931)

The site was surveyed by Finnish archaeologist A. Saarisalo in the early 20th century, who concluded that the village was inhabited as late as the Byzantine and Early Arab periods.Saarisolo, A. (1931), p. 16

Gallery

File:Remnant of old wall, Rebbo.jpg, Wall at ''Khirbat Rubba'' (Rebbo)
File:Razed structures at Rebbo Ruin.jpg, Stone structures at Rebbo
File:General view of Tell Rebbo from the dell.jpg, Dell on lower east side of Horvat Rebbo/Khurbet Rubba
File:General view of ruins.jpg, Ruins at ''Khirbat Rubba''
File:General view of ruins - 2.jpg, General view of Horvat Rebbo/Khurbet Rubba
File:Aderet as seen from the Rebbo Ruin.jpg, Moshav Aderet seen in the distance from Horvat Rebbo/Khurbet RubbaKhurbet Rubba
File:View looking southward from Rebbo Ruin.jpg, General view looking south of Rebbo
File:Broken mouth of well, Khirbat Rubba (Rebbo).jpg, Broken mouth of well at Rebbo
File:Broken Mouth of well at Rebbo.jpg, Broken mouth of well, now sealed
File:Cave, Rebbo.jpg, Entrance to cave
File:Old wall at Rebbo Ruin.jpg, Remnant of old wall at ''Khirbat Rubba''
File:Open pit at Rebbo (Kh. Rubba).jpg, Pit lined with hewn stones at Rebbo
File:Open pit at Rebbo Ruin.jpg, Gaping hole of pit (cavern) at Rebbo
File:Pit with grating at Rebbo.jpg, Grating covering pit at Rebbo
File:Remains of stone column at Rebbo Ruin.jpg, Column stump at Rebbo
File:Wine press at Rebbo Ruin.jpg, Wine press carved in rock at Rebbo
File:Slab of stone at Tell Rebbo.jpg, Large slab of stone (wine press?) at Rebbo

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 21:
IAAWikimedia commonsArchaeological Survey at Tel Rebbo (2018)
by Eitan Klein, Boaz Zissu, and Amir Ganor (Hebrew)
{{Authority control
Ancient villages in Israel
Former populated places in Israel
Tells (archaeology)
Hebrew Bible cities
Archaeological sites in Israel