Ḥorbat Sahar on Giv‘at Ha-More: A Byzantine–Early Islamic Rural Samaritan(?) Settlement, Revisited in the Crusader–Mamluk Period

This article presents building remains uncovered at the site of Ḥorbat Sahar, on the Giv‘at Ha-More ridge, which formed part of a house and a large building comprising several rooms, a pathway, a small part of a plastered installation (miqveh?), and other installations, all dated by the pottery and other finds to the late Byzantine–Early Islamic period. The presence of Samaritan-type lamps, and the absence of LRRW bowls in the pottery assemblage, may hint to a Samaritan presence at the site following their suppression in the Samaria heartland. The large building was resettled in the Crusader–Mamluk periods, without architectural changes. The wealth of glazed bowls and animal remains in powdery accumulation layers may reflect the use of the site by overnight pilgrims travelling to visit Christian sites in Galilee.