Rehovot-in-the-Negev
Ancient city in the Negev, Israel / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rehovot-in-the-Negev (English), from Rehovot ba-Negev [he] (רחובות בנגב, modern Hebrew name), derived from Khirbet Ruheibeh (Arabic, 'Ruheibeh Ruins'), is an archaeological site in the Wadi er-Ruheibeh area of the central Negev in Israel,[1] containing the remains of an ancient town. Apparently founded in the first century CE by the Nabateans, it was a thriving city by the fifth century during the Byzantine period, when it grew to more than 10,000 inhabitants, thanks to its being on the Arabian incense trade route.[citation needed]
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רחובות בנגב 'Rehovot ba-Negev' (Hebrew) 'Khirbet Ruheibeh' (Arabic) | |
Location | Southern District, Israel |
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Region | central Negev |
Coordinates | 31.0317°N 34.5650°E / 31.0317; 34.5650 |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Founded | 1st century |
Abandoned | 7th century |
Cultures | Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine |
Site notes | |
Archaeologists | Yoram Tsafrir |
Condition | In ruins |
Public access | Yes |
By population, Rehovot-in-the-Negev was the second largest of the Byzantine-period "Negev towns".[2]
The city was repeatedly hit by earthquakes, the major 7th-century seismic event which destroyed Avdat also lead to the abandonment of this city.[3]