Khirbat Qastra; Khirbet Kafr Samir; Castra Samaritanorum? Complete

Description

Khirbet Qastra occupies a series of terraces on the slopes of Mount Carmel, in the vicinity of present-day Haifa, approximately three kilometers southeast of ancient Sycamina. The designation Castra Samaritanorum, noted by the Piacenza Pilgrim, has been linked with Qastra/Kafr Samir on the basis of name correspondences alone. Substantial fieldwork has been undertaken at the site: excavations were directed by Siegelmann in 1988, followed by campaigns led by Yeivin and Finkielsztejn from 1993 onward. These investigations delineated five principal stages of occupation: a Roman phase; an early fourth-century horizon; a period of growth from the mid-fourth to the sixth centuries; a phase of decline extending from the sixth century to the mid-eighth century; and an occupation in the Ottoman era. Architectural remains are abundant and include two synagogues and two churches of Byzantine date. A cemetery with numerous tombs of varied forms was also uncovered. The settlement features wine and oil presses together with many other industrial installations. The notably dense concentration of presses, which seems to exceed the requirements of the village itself, may suggest cash-crop production managed by a substantial landholder. Evidence for Samaritan and Jewish activity is attributed to the third or early fourth century AD. Among the more distinctive artifacts is a ceramic bread seal bearing an inscription in square script that associates it with shemittah, the seventh or Sabbatical year. Further reading: CIIP II, chapter III. Castra Samaritanorum, Introduction, 821-822.