Horvat 'Ethri (; alt. spellings: Hurvat Itri, Ethri, Atari), Hebrew for "Ethri ruin", Arabic name: Umm Suweid ("mother of the buckthorns"), is an archaeological site situated in the Judean Lowlands in modern-day Israel. Excavations at the site uncovered the remains of a now partially restored Jewish village of the Second Temple period, wherein are preserved an ancient synagogue, wine presses, cisterns, ritual baths and stone ossuaries, as well as an underground hideout system. The village was violently destroyed during the Bar Kokhba revolt.
Location
The site sits upon an elevation of above sea level. It is located southeast of Bet Shemesh, within the Adullam-France Park – c. southwest of Jerusalem, southeast of the Elah Valley and northeast of Beth Guvrin.
Excavations
A rescue excavation was carried out at Hurvat Ethri in 1999–2000 on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) following a long-running looting at the site. Its purpose was to uncover the ancient remains and make the site accessible to tourists. As early as 2004, excavations were conducted on the site by Amir Ganor and Sari Eliyahu. In 2016, an additional survey-excavation was made of the site by Eitan Klein, Amir Ganor, and G. Goldenberg on behalf of the IAA.
History
Persian period (Phase I) The site was first occupied during the late Persian period; artifacts of the period include Yehud coins, a coin minted in Babylon and two fakes of Athenian coins.
Hellenistic and Hasmonean periods (Phase II) Numerous remains from the Hellenistic period have been discovered at the site, including rooms incorporated into later buildings, cisterns, and underground quarries. Since the majority of the structures were dismantled or incorporated into later structures, it is difficult to determine the extent of the hamlet during this period. The size of the site during this time was greater than 7 dunams, according to coinage and the location of the rock-cut sections on the property. A few Hasmonean period prutahs as well as coins of Seleucid rulers Antiochus VII and Demetrius II struck at the Tyre mint are examples of artifacts from the time.
The site's material culture suggests that its residents throughout the Hellenistic period were Jews, and some of the ritual baths that have been found there are most likely from this time period.
Early Roman period (Phase III) During the early first century CE, large-scale development took place on the site. The village reached its peak size on the eve of the First Jewish-Roman War, when its built-up site encompassed around 10 dunams.Archaeological findings at the site reveal that its inhabitants had several sources of income, namely, a columbarium facility for breeding doves and producing fertilizer, and loom and spindle weights for spinning and weaving. However, its numerous wine presses suggest that the town's inhabitants were engaged in viniculture.
First Jewish-Roman War
During the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE), the village suffered damage, had some of its structures demolished, and was momentarily abandoned. Of special interest were the discoveries of small coins from the 2nd and 3rd year of the revolt, particularly, a silver half-shekel coin from the 3rd year of the revolt, upon which are embossed the words "Half-Shekel" in the Paleo-Hebrew script (), and having a silver content of 6.87 grams, discovered in an area of the site known as "complex XIV," and a bronze coin with a date-palm tree and the inscription, "El'azar the Priest," on its obverse side, and a cluster of grapes with the inscription, "Year One of the Freedom of Israel," on its reverse side.
Based on a potsherd found at the site bearing the name "Ethri", and the village's size on the eve of the revolt, it has been suggested that the site should be identified with Capethra, a village on the Judaean Foothills mentioned by Josephus as destroyed during a campaign by units of the Legio V Macedonica in the area in 69 CE.
Between the revolts
Jews resettled the village between the two revolts; perhaps some of them were the original occupants who went back to their homes. They rebuilt some of the structures and modified them to meet their needs. The resettled village, which was half as big as the old one, was concentrated on the site's eastern side. A public structure, which may have served as a synagogue, was constructed next to the residential quarters.