Galilee In the Roman Period

The book aims to provide the most accurate picture possible of the nature and history of the rural settlement in the Lower Galilee during Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods when this region played an important role in the development of both Judaism and Christianity.
In an attempt to draw a historical reconstruction based on systematic data, a test case area in the »heart« of ancient Galilee was chosen for this research. Two distinct disciplines were used: the study of the relevant historical sources and the advanced archaeological field survey. Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic sources concerning settlements in the region were translated and discussed. Some fifty archaeological sites from the periods under discussion were identified and surveyed.
The analysis of the finds enabled the author to draw a detailed portrait of settlement – including periods of construction, abandonment, prosperity and decline in each site and in the region as a whole. This book sheds new light on major historical issues such as the origins of the Galilean Jewry in the Second Temple Period, the First Jewish Revolt and its
outcomes, the Jews of Galilee under Christian regime, demography, economy, continuity and decline.

סיכום של שבע עונות חפירה בשרידיה של יודפת העתיקה. חשיפת מבנים פרטיים החל מהתקופה ההלניסטית ועד המאה הראשונה לספירה, מתקני מלאכה כמו בית בד, כבשני יוצרים ומשקולות נולי אריגה. חשיפת ביצורי העיר מימי החשמונאים וההכנות למרד הגדול. עדות לקרב בשנת 67, חורבן העיר ושרידי קבורות החללים