Naṣr ed-Din (Bet Ma‘on), near Tiberias: Village and City in Roman-Period Galilee

A large domestic complex comprising six dwelling units with courtyards was uncovered in the village of Naṣr ed-Din overlooking Roman-period Tiberias. The site dates mainly to the Middle Roman period, spanning the beginning of the second century and the first decades of the third century CE. It seems that the complex was abandoned abruptly, as many finds were left in place on the floors. The good preservation of the dwellings and the wealth of the small finds shed light on the nature of domestic-rural construction in Roman Galilee, its material culture and household organization. This report describes the excavation of the site: the architecture and its stages of development, and the finds, including pottery, stone, metal, coins and glass, followed by a discussion of the identification of the site with ancient Bet Ma’on and village-polis relations in Roman-period Galilee