Beth Shean
Archaeology » Heritage sites» Beth Shean
Location
Jordan River

Country
Israel

Year of Research
3rd-2nd centuries BCE

Culture
  • Beth Shean is a city in the North District of Israel which has played an main role in history due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and Jezreel Valley.

  • It has also an important role in modern times, acting as the regional center for the numerous villages in the Beit She is an Valley Regional Council.

  • Its name is believed to derive from the early Canaanite house of tranquility .

  • In 634, Byzantine forces were defeated by the Muslim forces of Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khatab was renamed Beisan.

  • The day of victory came to be known in Arabic as Youm Beisan or the day of Beisan .

  • The city was not damaged and the newly arrived Muslims lived together with its Christian population until the 8th century, but the city declined during this period and its glorious Roman-Byzantine architecture was lost to neglect.

  • Structures were built in the streets themselves, narrowing them to mere alleyways, and makeshift shops were opened among the colonnades.

  • The city had reached a low point by the 8th century, witnessed by the removal of marble for producing lime, the blocking off of the main street, and the conversion of a main plaza into a cemetery.