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‘Atiqot 53 (2006)
ISBN 2948-040X
The Excavation at Khirbat el-Batiya (Triangulation Spot 819)
(Hebrew, pp. 21*–28*; English summary, pp. 197–198)
Hanaa Abu ‘Uqsa
Keywords: Galilee, Hula Valley, Christianity, numismatics, bronze nails, metal agricultural tools, glass finds
The western part of a large building was exposed, dating to the end of the Byzantine period. Two main strata were observed (I, II). Stratum Ia included the remains of a dry-built building, constructed from finely dressed limestone blocks arranged in headers and stretchers. The floors were paved with stone slabs, and the walls were probably coated with plaster. The finds from this phase date to the fifth–sixth centuries CE. Stratum Ib represents slight modifications that were carried out in the building. In Stratum II the building continued to be used, mainly in the southern part. A jug and a silver
dirham
date this stratum to the ninth–tenth centuries CE. It seems that the building served as a farmhouse, which was connected with a monastery or a church, as attested by the chancel-screen fragments decorated with crosses that were retrieved during the excavation.