Avdat
Ancient Nabataean, Roman, and Byzantine settlement in the Negev.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Avdat (also known as Ovdat, Abdah, or Abde) is an archaeological site in the Negev desert of southern Israel, corresponding to the ancient Nabataean, Roman, and Byzantine settlement of Oboda or Eboda. It was inhabited intermittently from the 3rd century BCE to the mid-7th century CE, serving as a key stop on the Incense Route after Petra and later as a Roman and Byzantine center.
- Location
- Negev desert, southern Israel
- Period of habitation
- 3rd century BCE – mid-7th century CE
- Original name
- Oboda (or Eboda)
- Named after
- Nabataean King Obodas I
- UNESCO status
- World Heritage Site (declared June 2005)
- Major industries
- Incense trade, later agriculture and wine production
Lore & Background
Avdat began as a seasonal camping ground for Nabataean caravans traveling the Petra–Gaza road in the 3rd–late 2nd century BCE. Its name was changed to honor King Obodas I, who was revered as a deity and traditionally buried there. By the late 1st century BCE, a temple platform (acropolis) was built, and the town was continuously inhabited by Nabataeans until an earthquake in the early 8th century CE. After the Roman annexation of Nabataea in 106 CE, Avdat prospered as a major station on the Petra–Gaza road, but by the early to mid-3rd century it shifted to agriculture and wine production, with terraced farms and water channels built to capture winter rain.
Reader's Guide
Avdat's significance lies in its role as a vital link in the Incense Route and its adaptation from a Nabataean trade hub to a Roman and Byzantine agricultural settlement. The site contains a temple dedicated to the deified King Obodas I, built in 9 BCE, and two Byzantine churches (the Southern Basilica dedicated to Saint Theodoros and the Northern Basilica). A Roman army camp (100 x 100 m) was constructed in the late 3rd or early 4th century, and a bath house with a 70-meter tunneled well supplied water. The site was damaged by an earthquake in the early 5th century, yielding the latest Nabataean inscription found in Palestine. Byzantine-era fortifications, a monastery, and a citadel were later built. Avdat continued into the Early Islamic period (ca. 650–900 CE), with evidence of Umayyad and Abbasid activity. In 2009, the site suffered vandalism causing NIS 8.7 million in damage. It was also the filming location of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Did You Know?
- Avdat was a seasonal camping ground for Nabataean caravans in the 3rd–late 2nd century BCE.
- The Temple of Oboda was built in 9 BCE as a dedication to the deified King Obodas I.
- The latest Nabataean inscription ever found in Palestine was discovered in the ruins of an early 5th-century earthquake.
- Avdat was the filming location of the movie Jesus Christ Superstar.
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