Talk:Beit She'arim necropolis

Name of this article
Since this article is primarily about Beit She'arim and hardly at all about the national park that now protects it, it seems to me that the name of the article should be Beit She'arim (as it once was). Zerotalk 12:09, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I think someone changed it to differentiate this article from modern Beit She'arim. If you have been to the site, you can see where the Arab village was, next to the necropolis - certainly not on top of it.--Gilabrand (talk) 12:18, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Mazar says that the Beit She'arim settlement (not the necropolis) "was situated on top of the mound" and occupied an area of more than 100 dunams at the height of its prosperity. (Mazar, Vol 1, p14). Various sites connected with the settlement, like the synagogue, are on the various slopes of the hill.  The necropolis "is spread in a semicircle on the northeastern, northern, and western slopes of Tell Beth She'arim [the hill], and on the slopes of adjoining hills to the the north and west". (p20)  In other words it was a lot more extensive than can be seen by a visitor today.  (I have been there, since I have friends in Tivon, but I don't remember much.)  The hill on which the Beit She'arim settlement sat is the same as the one on which Sheikh Bureik sat - not only is that stated by both Conder and Mazar, but the PEF map of 1880 showing Sheikh Bureik and the mound shown in Mazar's topographic maps match up exactly.  Zerotalk 12:37, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Still not the right name. What about changing the modern place's name to "Beit She'arim (moshav)", and leave this one as "Beit She'arim", period! I guess that most Eng. WP readers who look up Beit She'arim have the ancient site in mind - World Heritage site, national park, Judah the Prince... Slightly stronger claim to fame than the moshav. ArmindenArminden (talk) 03:59, 18 April 2016 (UTC)
 * I agree with you. Zerotalk 08:51, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Identity of hill
The Beit She'arim and Sheikh Bureik were on the same hill is stated on page 13 of Mazar's book. But since I have it front of me I'll copy what Claude Conder wrote much earlier (Tent work in Palestine, Vol. 1 (1879), p161-162):
 * Sheikh Abreik stands on the site of an unknown town of no little importance. To the west the hillside is completely undermined by extensive excavations and systems of tombs which required many days to examine. Under the town is one called "the Cave of Gehenna," and on the hill is another consisting of chamber within chamber, the first entered being painted with palm branches, ivy-leaves, and other mortuary emblems in red; in one tomb the inscription "Parthene" is written in Greek, in another we found graves unopened, and the entrances most carefully closed; but unfortunately the roof had fallen in, and all that our excavation brought us was a delicate little tear-bottle, the glass oxidised by age, and covered with a prismatic crust which scaled off easily.

Zerotalk 12:20, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Someone who knows more about this might want to add something about this
Greg Ross talks about a Mystery Slab of Beth She’Arim which was excavated in a cave near the sacred Galilean catacomb of Beth She’Arim in 1956, when a bulldozer unearthed an enormous rectangular slab, 11 × 6.5 × 1.5 feet. Rather than try to move the 9-ton mass, workers at first paved over it. Seven years passed before anyone thought to examine it closely.

It was one gigantic piece of glass. He states that it is unknown who made it or exactly how. Evidently an ancient furnace had produced great batches of molten glass that could be cooled and broken into reworkable pieces. This batch had been abandoned, perhaps because contamination had ruined its clarity.

See ref

Johann.H.Muller (talk) 19:55, 27 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I have read quite a lot of professional archaeological writing on this site and never saw anything like this. It sounds very much like a myth.  Zerotalk 00:34, 28 February 2010 (UTC)


 * No myth, it's actually on display at the site. A quick search on Google Scholar also produces several results. It's a remnant of the extensive glass industry in the region during the Roman and Byzantine eras. See here and there photos on the net as well. Poliocretes (talk) 09:12, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

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Still missing: city remains, maqam, Zaid statue
Who takes up the task? Synagogue, olive oil plant, basilica, weli of Sheikh Ibreik (see Sheikh Bureik), equestrian statue of Alexander Zaïd? Also: more catacombs, semicircular structure.... ArmindenArminden (talk) 05:30, 18 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Sounds like Arminden would do a great job... Zerotalk 08:54, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Zero, thanks for the flowers :-) I'll go for some paid job this time, for a change... For whoever feels like it, don't forget the story of how they tried to steal Mr. Zaid cum horse and send him to be melted down in China during the crazy days when metal prices shot through the roof. The guardsman of the pioneer years, victim of thieves! Most of the stealing was done by Arabs, like in the good ole' days with cattle, but the shipment went through Ashdod port, with port officials keeping both eyes firmly shut. Now, that's cohabitation & normalisation! Btw, daylight saved the statue. Slow thieves, I must say. Wouldn't happen in Romania. Enough political correctness for one day, I'm off! Cheers, ArmindenArminden (talk) 12:23, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

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Requested move 9 February 2021

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: Moved  (t &#183; c)  buidhe  19:12, 16 February 2021 (UTC)

Beit She'arim National Park → Beit She'arim necropolis – This article primarily treats on the necropolis found in the Beit She'arim National Park, at least 95% of its content. The necropolis is not the only site of interest in the Park, although it is perhaps the most important. There is also a former Roman-era village by the name "Beit She'arim" located in the same Park (a place later called Sheikh Bureik). Any change of title to "Beit She'arim necropolis," will also make mention of the fact that its location is within the Beit She'arim National Park. Davidbena (talk) 14:33, 9 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Support, for the reasons outlined above.Davidbena (talk) 14:34, 9 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Support, consistent with the rename of Beit She'arim (Roman-era Jewish village). Onceinawhile (talk) 21:33, 15 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Comment Wouldn't it make sense to extend the article with National Park mentions, rather than move this to Necropolis? The national park is.... and most famous in the park is the necropolis..... Sir Joseph (talk) 22:53, 15 February 2021 (UTC)