A team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is conducting excavations at the Nessana site, located in the southwestern Negev desert on the border between Israel and Egypt. This settlement, which reached its peak during the Byzantine and early Islamic periods (6th-7th centuries AD), has become a focal point for archaeologists seeking to unravel the mysteries of the material culture of pilgrimages in late antiquity.

The Nessana Archaeological Project, launched in 2022 under the direction of Dr. Yana Tchekhanovets, has revealed religious structures and facilities for pilgrims that once made this place a nerve center for Christian travelers en route to Mount Sinai.

Nessana’s significance in the landscape of ancient pilgrimages is evidenced not only by the abundance of ecclesiastical buildings discovered at the site, but also by the wealth of inscriptions and graffiti in various languages, including Greek, Arabic, Aramaic, Armenian, and Georgian, attesting to the cultural diversity of the pilgrims who passed through this region.

The researchers, taking advantage of the desert’s arid climate that has exceptionally preserved organic materials such as textiles, leather, baskets, and botanical remains, are unraveling a vivid picture of daily life in this frontier settlement. The extraordinary preservation of these materials offers an unprecedented opportunity to understand the living conditions and practices of the pilgrims and residents of Nessana during a crucial period of transition between the Byzantine and Islamic eras.

Location of Nessana
Location of Nessana. Credit: M. Frumin

A particularly significant finding from recent excavations is an impressive architectural complex that archaeologists interpret as a pilgrims’ hostel. This complex, which includes a chapel, a bathhouse, a mosaic-decorated courtyard, paved rooms, and various hydraulic installations, represents the first discovery of its kind in Nessana and promises to provide invaluable information about the infrastructure developed to accommodate religious travelers in late antiquity.

Dr. Tchekhanovets and her team have employed cutting-edge technologies, such as GIS modeling, in combination with traditional surface surveying techniques, to reconstruct the most detailed urban plan of Nessana. This innovative approach has revealed a pre-planned urban design, with main arteries dividing the lower settlement into small neighborhoods and with churches strategically located along these central streets—a pattern that contrasts with the more organic growth seen in other Byzantine villages in the Negev.

The project not only focuses on new excavations but also incorporates a comprehensive analysis of data and materials from earlier excavations, including the famous Nessana papyri discovered in the 1930s. This synthesis of new and existing information is allowing researchers to build a more coherent narrative of Nessana’s evolution, from its Hellenistic origins in the 4th-3rd centuries BC, through its transformation into an important Christian pilgrimage center, to its eventual abandonment during the Abbasid period.

The first two seasons of fieldwork have been crucial in establishing the site’s stratigraphic sequence, determining the thickness of the archaeological layers, and identifying the characteristic ceramic repertoire of Nessana. Of particular interest to archaeologists are the processes of decline and final abandonment of the architectural complexes, which began during the Byzantine-Islamic transition.

A pilgrimage hostel complex partly exposed during the 2023 excavations
A pilgrimage hostel complex partly exposed during the 2023 excavations. Credit: Y. Shmidov & A. Wiegmann

Among the most notable finds are carved bone fragments, Greek inscriptions on locally produced jar fragments, wooden beams, and ostrich eggshells, all recovered from the collapse layers of the pilgrims’ hostel.

The Nessana project benefits from the robust body of archaeological research conducted in the Negev in recent decades, which has provided invaluable regional context for interpreting the new discoveries. Dr. Tchekhanovets and her team hope that the continued exploration of Nessana, together with the study of data from previous excavations, will provide a more coherent picture of life in this small late antique settlement on the desert’s edge.

Nessana’s importance for understanding early Christian pilgrimages cannot be underestimated. As a crucial entry point to the Sinai desert, the site played a vital role in the logistics of religious journeys, serving as a place where caravans formed and guides and other essential services were provided.

As excavations continue, archaeologists hope to uncover more evidence of interaction between local communities and visiting pilgrims, as well as changes in religious practices and daily life during the transition from Byzantine to Islamic rule. The rich preservation of organic materials in Nessana offers a unique opportunity to study aspects of ancient life that are often lost at other archaeological sites.


SOURCES

Tchekhanovets Y, Excavating ancient pilgrimage at Nessana, Negev. Antiquity 2024:1-7. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.132


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