Khirbet El Kiliya

Khirbet el Kiliya is an archeological site of a Roman fortress and a Byzantine Monastery located about 5 km east of Rammun, just on the edge of the Israeli settlement of Rimonnim, above Wadi el-Wahitah in the West Bank.

Research history
The site was mentioned by Victor Guerin in the PEF and was excavated by the Civil Administration's Archeology unit works to preserve and promote antiquities in Judea and Sameria between the years 1982 – 1988.

Archeological findings
At the site 4 time periods were identified in reference to the quadrangular building: a fortress from the late Roman period, a monastery dated to the Byzantine period, a building and sheep pens dated to the Early Islamic period and a tower dating to the Late Islamic period. On the slopes to the east, several caves were found and might have been used by hermits.

The built area consists of remains of two buildings, several rooms, a courtyard with a cistern and a crypt. This monastery differs from other Byzantine desert monasteries in planning and construction. Most likely as it was built on the ruins of a Roman fortress. This fact is evidently in the fact that the monastery was built on the second floor of the first building and not at ground level as custom. The ceramic findings include pottery from the Byzantine period mainly found within the crypt. Most of the pottery finds are from the Early Islamic period.

Coinage
Coins found on site helped in dating it, but at the same time rose an unsolved question. The coins that helped in dating the site were an imperial coin of Ascalon, a coin from the reign of Theodosius I, a coin from the Late Roman period, a coin from the time of Arcadius, a coin from the time of Honorius. But the most intriguing coin found was that dating to the time of Pontius Pilate, no archeological evidence can explain the presence of the coin at the site. Having said that it does add up to the fact that Guerin mentions a relief of a seven branched Menorah when he visited the site.