Beth Guvrin; Eleutheropolis Complete

Description

Known today as Beth Gurvin, Eleutehropolis occupies a key point along the road that linked Neapolis, Aelia, and Ascalon. The settlement took its name under the reign of Septimius Severus, and the erection of an amphitheatre provides clear evidence of its urban status. A military garrison was stationed there, and in the fourth century Ammianus Marcellinus classed the town among the “excellent cities” of Palestine (Amm. 14.8.11). Archaeological work conducted since 1920 has concentrated on major public structures, above all the amphitheatre and bath complexes, the latter remaining in use into the Byzantine period. The site is especially noted for its extensive limestone cave networks, which functioned both as burial areas and as quarry installations. Further reading: CIIIP IV, CXX. Kloner, A. 1993. “Beth Gurvin” in: The New Encyclopedia of Archeological Excavations in the Holy Land, 195–201.