Tell Maon (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: Khirbet Ma'in) was a biblical town in the

Hebron Hills The Hebron Hills, also known as Mount Hebron ( ar, جبل الخليل, translit=Jabal al-Khalīl, he, הר חברון, translit=Har Hevron), are a mountain ridge, geographic region, and geologic formation, comprising the southern part of the J ...

, formerly known simply as Maon (), rising above sea level. The town, now a ruin, is mentioned in the

Book of Joshua The Book of Joshua ( he, סֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ‎ ', Tiberian: ''Sēp̄er Yŏhōšūaʿ'') is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Isra ...

( and the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshu ...

(). It is located about southeast of Yatta.

History

The site is first mentioned as one of the cities of Judah.Amit (n.d.), pp. 222–223 Maon was the place of birth of

Nabal According to the 1st Book of Samuel Chapter 25, Nabal ( ''Nāḇāl'', "fool") was a rich Calebite, described as harsh and surly. He is featured in a story in which he is threatened by David over an insult, and ultimately killed by God. Biblica ...

the Carmelite. In , "the wilderness of Maon" is mentioned as a place of refuge for

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

when he fled from

king Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tr ...

. The site is not referred to again in biblical sources, and only after the destruction of the

Second Temple The Second Temple (, , ), later known as Herod's Temple, was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem between and 70 CE. It replaced Solomon's Temple, which had been built at the same location in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited ...

is there a reference to the site again, where Rabban

Yohanan ben Zakkai :''See Yohanan for more rabbis by this name''. Yohanan ben Zakkai ( he, יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, ''Yōḥānān ben Zakkaʾy''; 1st century CE), sometimes abbreviated as Ribaz () for Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, was one of the Tan ...

is said to have gone up to Maon of Judah. In the early 4th-century CE, Maon was mentioned in

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...

' ''

Onomasticon Onomasticon may refer to: *Onomasticon (Eusebius) *Onomasticon of Amenope *Onomasticon of Joan Coromines *Onomasticon of Julius Pollux *Onomasticon of Johann Glandorp *''Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum Onomasticon may refer to: *Onomasticon (Eusebius ...

'' as being "in the tribe of Judah; in the east of Daroma." The name "Darom" (

: ''ad-Darum'') literally means "south," but in relation to the rest of

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

it had the general connotation of the immediate territory in and around

Beit Jibrin Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin ( ar, بيت جبرين; he, בית גוברין, translit=Beit Gubrin) was a Palestinian village located northwest of the city of Hebron. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or , of which were ...

(Eleutheropolis), as evinced by

Al-Muqaddasi Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr al-Maqdisī ( ar, شَمْس ٱلدِّيْن أَبُو عَبْد ٱلله مُحَمَّد ابْن أَحْمَد ابْن أَبِي بَكْر ٱلْمَقْدِسِي), ...

Archaeology

A synagogue dating back to the Talmudic period was discovered at Tell Maon. Archaeologists have also discovered at the site potsherds dating back to the

early Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

, as well as from the Israelite period (where jar handles were found bearing the paleo-Hebrew inscription LMLK (= "for the king") and from the

Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 3 ...

. Shards have also been found ''in situ'' from the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

and

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

s, and from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. C.R. Conder of the

Palestine Exploration Fund The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society based in London. It was founded in 1865, shortly after the completion of the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem, and is the oldest known organization in the world created specifically for the study ...

visited the site in 1874, during which time a brief description was written of the site:

Tell Maʻîn –– A mound some 100 feet high. On the west are foundations, caves, and cisterns, and foundations of a tower about 20 feet square. The masonry in this tower is large, with a broad irregular draft and a rustic boss. One stone was 3 feet 8 inches long, 2 feet 9 inches high, the draft about 3 inches wide. There is also a round well-mouth, 5 feet diameter, cut out of a single stone. Conder & Kitchener (1883), p
415
/ref>

Modern era

Tell Maon is situated SE of the Arab town of Yatta, on the north side of regional highway 317. Today, on the northern slope of the Tell are settled several families who have recently moved there from Yatta.

Gallery

File:Tel-Maon-195.jpg, Tell Maon in Hebron Hills File:Tel-Maon-199.jpg, Tell Maon File:Tel-Maon-196.jpg, Ruin of Maon (near Hebron) File:Tel-Maon-194.jpg, Remains of ancient wall at Tell Maon File:Tel-Maon-183.jpg, The ancient hill of Tell Maon File:Tel-Maon-210.jpg, Old structures at Tell Maon File:Tel-Maon-216.jpg, Staicase at Maon File:Tel-Maon-227.jpg, General ruins File:Tel-Maon-569.jpg, Stone troughs at the well of Maon File:Tel-Maon-574.jpg, Remnants of Byzantine fort at Tell Maon

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links

*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 25:
IAAWikimedia commons
(''Tell Máîn'' shown on upper part of map) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tell Maon Book of Joshua Books of Samuel Hebrew Bible cities District of Hebron Judea (Roman province) Ancient Jewish settlements of Judaea Biblical geography Ancient Jewish history Archaeological sites in the West Bank Ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel