Negev, the southern desert that covers more than two thirds of the Holy Land, is terra incognita to most Christian pilgrims who visit Israel. Some journey as far south as Eilat to visit the traditional site of Mt. Sinai, but even these travellers usually have no idea that the Negev desert is also worthy of their interest. They are unaware that that desert is rich in history and archaeological remains from its Christian period – that is, from the mid-fourth century to the end of the seventh century. The book is divided into eleven chapters. In Chapter One the author discuss the Nabataean history of the Negev and the Roman annexation of the region. The final chapter reviews the Muslim invasion of the southern desert in the seventh century C.E. and how this impacted the Christian population there, finally causing its disappearance. Chapters Two to Ten deal with each of the major Byzantine settlements that have been excavated, offering a full record of the discoveries concerning Christian archaeology together with pertinent references to ancient texts and local inscriptions. A good number of photographs will illustrate the text.

This book presents a complementary synthesis of the newest research on the Negev Desert (Israel) in the Byzantine period (363-640 AD) including a holistic analysis of archaeological reports, historical sources, and field surveys with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The contextualization of settlement trends in the region reveals the subjectivity of some of earlier theories, which means that the study uses models developed as part of the French École des Annales discussion on the concept of long duration. Looking at the evolution of settlement from a regional and transregional perspective, through the prism of the cycle of behavioural domains, revealed a positive aspect of the transformation of society and settlement space: that the individual and community are able to resist and get out of difficult circumstances. The study also uses the paradigm of the rise and fall of cultures; in light of this, the long-term changes taking place in late antiquity appear to consist of relatively long periods of settlement expansion and short, sudden breakdowns.

Tel Malḥata: A Central City in the Biblical Negev presents the results of nine seasons of excavations—two by the first expedition and seven by the second. Tel Malḥata is an elliptical-shaped mound located in the eastern sector of the Arad–Beer-sheba Valley and spreads across some 18 dunams. Tel Malḥata is generally identified with biblical Moladah, one of the cities of Judah, although other identifications have been suggested. The Arabic name of the site, Tell el-Milḥ (“Hill of the Salt”), is apparently indicative of its association with the production and distribution of salt from the Dead Sea in more recent times. The many Bedouin graves on the upper terrace of the tell significantly hindered the planning of the excavations, and consequently the excavations were concentrated mainly where no graves were discerned. The two-volume report consists of 22 chapters that take the reader through six strata of civilization, ranging from the Middle Bronze Age to the early Byzantine period.

Spanning ten millennia from earliest civilisation to the Arab conquest this book is the definitive one-volume reference to the ancient lands of the Bible, fusing scientific discovery and literary and religious tradition to produce a deeper understanding of the history of human culture. Here the settings of the world's three major religions are examined, incorporating the most up-to-date archaeological information with the biblical record of the Holy Land, the Encyclopaedia visits the ancient Near East site-by-site, with comprehensive descriptions of hundreds of discoveries as well as providing historical commentary and relevant biblical citations. General articles on subjects such as burial, warfare, cult objects and clothing provide further insight into the material culture and social systems of the biblical period. More than 20 distinguished archaeologists have contributed articles in their areas of expertise complete with details from their own excavations. >

This book presents a study and catalogue of the early Christian stone architectural decorations from the Negev Desert (Israel). This work is based on the largest sample of decorated architectural elements from the Byzantine Negev (4th–7th century CE) to have been comparatively studied. The analysis provides a key for the characteristics of these aniconic, carved decorations, and an in-depth examination of their symbolic meaning.