Horvat Maʿon (Hebrew) or Tell Maʿin / Khirbet el-MaʿinNegev & Gibson (2005), p. 314 (Arabic) is an archaeological site located southwest of Gaza and southeast of Kibbutz Nirim in the Negev, the arid southern portion of Israel. In the Roman period, the site is thought to have formed the western boundary of the Limes Palaestinae.
Biblical cities named Maon A different Maon (Khirbet Ma'in), southeast of Hebron, near Carmel and Ziph, is mentioned in in the tribal territory of Judah, and not to be confused with Horvat Maon of the Negev. Others have sought to place Horvat Maon of the Negev with Beth-baal-meon () and Beth-meon ().
History and archaeology Horvat Maʿon, under the name Menois, was the capital of Saltus Constantinianus,Aharoni, Y. "The Land of Gerar." Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 6, no. 1, 1956, p. 30. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27924640. also known as Saltus Constantiniaces, an administrative district formed by either Constantine the Great or Constantius II.
Excavations there have uncovered the Maon Synagogue, known for its mosaics adorned with various animals and likely built around 600 CE.Yeivin, S. "A Year's Work in Israel." Archaeology, vol. 11, no. 4, 1958, pp. 244–245. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41663614. "One of the Most Spectacular Mosaic Floors Ever Discovered in Israel was Restored and Renovated and Can Now be Seen by the General Public," (30/3/09), Israel Antiquities Authority. The date of the mosaic has been alternatively given as the first half of the 6th century, based on its style.Negev, Avraham & Gibson, Shimon. Mosaics. Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005, pp. 314-315.
References