A Byzantine Tombstone from Tel Bet Yeraḥ/Khirbat al-Karak (Israel)

Abstract

A tombstone of the Byzantine period (fifth-sixth centuries CE) was discovered during recent conservation work in the bathhouse of the Early Islamic palace of al-Ṣinnabra at Tel Bet Yeraḥ/Khirbat al-Karak in the Jordan Valley. The stone appears to identify a functionary, possibly of the adjacent church excavated by Delougaz and Haines in 1952-53. We discuss the status of the church and possible significance of the reuse of the stone in the bathhouse floor.