Horvat 'Ethri
31°38′58″N 34°58′19″E / 31.6494720°N 34.9720070°E
Hebrew: חורבת עתרי, Arabic: Umm Suweid | |
Archaeological remains at Hurvat Itri | |
| Location | Jerusalem District, Israel |
|---|---|
| Region | Shephelah |
| Type | settlement |
| Area | max 10 dunam |
| Height | 416 |
| History | |
| Periods | Second Temple period |
| Cultures | Second Temple Judaism, Roman |
| Associated with | Jews, Romans |
| Events | First Jewish-Roman War, Bar Kokhba Revolt |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Boaz Zissu, Amir Ganor |
| Condition | Partially restored |
| Public access | Open year round |
| "Horvat 'Ethri" is how the excavator, Boaz Zissu, transliterates the Hebrew name | |
Horvat 'Ethri (Hebrew: חורבת עתרי, lit. 'Ruin of Ethri'; also spelled Hurvat Itri, Ethri, Atari), or Umm Suweid (Arabic for "mother of the buckthorns"), is an archaeological site situated in the Judean Lowlands in modern-day Israel. Excavations at the site have uncovered the remains of a partially restored Jewish village from the Second Temple period. The site features an ancient synagogue, wine presses, cisterns, mikvehs (ritual baths), stone ossuaries, and an underground hideout system.
Damaged and temporarily abandoned during the First Jewish–Roman War, the village was ultimately and violently destroyed during the Bar Kokhba revolt, as evidenced by a destruction layer and a mass grave found in a mikveh, which contained the remains of fifteen individuals, including one showing signs of beheading, as well as broken tools and coins.
The site is identified with Caphethra, a village on the Judaean Foothills mentioned by Josephus as destroyed during a campaign by units of the Legio V Macedonica in the area in 69 CE.