Shivta Mosaics

During the 1930s an archaeological expedition led by Harris Dunscombe Colt (1901–1973) conducted large-scale excavations at the Byzantine site of Shivta (Baly 1935; Colt 1948). The excavation unearthed three large churches (the North, Central, and South Church) and a mosque, near the two public reservoirs at the southern end of the site, as well as c. twenty large private houses, streets, and three winepresses (Figure 1; Moor 2013; Negev 1993; Rosenthal 1974; Segal 1983, 1988). The village flourished during the 5th–6th century AD and declined during the Early Islamic period (7th–9th century AD; Hirschfeld 2003; Tepper et