Horvat Uza (Hebrew: חורבת עוזה) is an archaeological site located in the northeast of the Negev desert in Israel. The site is located in the east of the Arad Valley and overlooks Nahal Qinah (Qinah Valley). In ancient times, forts were established there to control the wadi road, linking Judea to Arabah and the territory of Edom. It was mentioned as Qina by Josephus in book 15 of his Antiquities.[1]

Horvat Uza
חורבת עוזה
Hurvat Uzza, overlooking Kina River at Arad Valley, Israel.
Horvat Uza is located in Israel
Horvat Uza
Shown within Israel
LocationIsrael Southern District, Israel
RegionNegev
Coordinates31°12′33″N 35°09′56″E / 31.20917°N 35.16556°E / 31.20917; 35.16556
TypeFortress
History
PeriodsIron Age
CulturesJudahites

Several inscribed potsherds with inscriptions in Hebrew, dated to the 7th-century BCE, were found in Horvat Uza.

Archaeology

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The site was first excavated in the 1950s by Nahman Avigad. The excavations revealed that the site was inhabited from the Iron Age II (9th-6th centuries BCE) until the Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries CE). The site was abandoned in the 7th century CE, possibly due to the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians.[2]

The most notable finds from the site are a number of inscribed potsherds with inscriptions in Hebrew. The inscriptions date to the 7th century BCE and mention the name of the site, “Uza”. The inscriptions also mention the names of several people, including a man named “Ahaz” and a woman named “Ataliah”.

References

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  1. ^ Mittmann, Siegfried (2006). "Die Hellenistische Mauerinschrift von Gadara (Umm Qēs) und die Seleukidisch Dynastische Toponymie Palästinas". Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages (in German). 32 (2). Department of Ancient Studies: Stellenbosch University: 32. ISSN 0259-0131.
  2. ^ "The Excavations of Khirbet er-Rasm, Israel: The changing faces of the countryside 9781407307428, 9781407337357". dokumen.pub. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
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