The Naḥal ‘Avedat Reservoirs: A Unique Road Site in the Negev Highlands

Multiple water reservoirs and structures on a bend of Naḥal ‘Avedat, south of Oboda (‘Avedat), have attracted the attention of researchers for some 70 years. The resercoirs lay along a road suggested to be the biblical Way of the Spies (Derekh Ha-Atarim, דרך האתרים), leading through the dry streambeds of Naḥal Niẓẓana, Naḥal La‘ana and Naḥal ‘Avedat, connecting ancient Qadesh Barneʻa to the central and northern Negev. This site includes a tenth-century BCE Israelite structure, a Nabataean fort (Meẓad Naḥal ‘Avedat), a small Byzantine-period hamlet and other structures, all built in the close vicinity of the reservoirs cut into the limestone bank of Naḥal ‘Avedat. This paper presents observations following a new survey, including a detailed documentation of the site and a discussion concerning early Nabataean reservoirs in the Negev Highlands.