A Desert Mystery
As part of my Archaeology studies, I recently had the pleasure of writing a paper on one of the archaeological gems of Israel, and surprisingly – one of the least known or visited (by tourists and Israelis alike)
I’m referring to a place called Shivta, located in the middle of the Negev Desert, about 2.5 hours drive from Tel-Aviv. The place is amazing. You drive mile after mile in a barren desert landscape, with barely a tree or a shrub in sight. And then – out of nowhere – an almost fully-preserved ancient city !
Shivta was a small city, a village really, of about 2,500 people that was occupied for about 350 years during the late-Roman and byzantine periods (roughly 300-638 AD). It was then abandoned – only to be rediscovered in the late 19th century by British archaeologists-come-spies, the most famous being T.E. Lawrence – better known as “Lawrence of Arabia“. (as an aside – the story of the archaeologists/spies of the pre-WWI period is a tale of its own – to be told some other time)
I was drawn to the place by the mystery of it all. Why in the world would a city emerge out of nowhere and in the middle of nowhere, only to disappear as mysteriously as it emerged ?
My research led me to conclude that business and money were the driving forces behind the emergence of Shivta (isn’t it always ?…). The story of the place is of course more complex, but the primary reason for Shivta’s emergence has to do with the Byzantine Mediterranean trade. More specifically – wine trade.
As it happens, the northern Negev, where Shivta is located, has a climate and terrain that under the right agricultural techniques can be perfect for growing vines and producing wine. Apparently, during the 4-7 centuries AD, the region’s wines were a “brand name” throughout the Mediterranean, as far west as France. They were exported through the Gaza port, which is some 50Km to the north, and were therefore known as the “Vinum Gazetum”. A highly prized and high-priced wine.
No less of a mystery is why this place flourished for only 3 centuries, and only during the Byzantine control of Palestine. Why had this place, and 3-4 other like it in a 20Km radius, not emerged before this period, nor after it. It was not until the 20th century with the Zionist movement that this area enjoyed similar levels of habitation and cultivation.
My thoughts are that – again – the reasons are to be found in business and economics. In a nutshell, the late Roman and early Byzantine Empires brought a level of security to the whole Mediterranean region, created vast demand for olive oil and wine that are the long-established staple products of the Levant and made large imperial investments in the area that was the cradle of Christianity, the state religion from 325 AD. All of these elements did not exist on such a scale before or after, and their confluence at the same time was the “trigger” that enabled the emergence and flourishing of settlements in such a “hostile” environment. The Muslim occupation of 638 AD brought all of this to an abrupt end. Wine is not a legitimate consumption item under Islam, the Mediterranean stopped being such a primary market for trade and Palestine or the Negev were not primary areas of interest for the muslim imperial rulers throughout their 13 centuries of domination. Because of its “delicate” climatic and geographic conditions, these major changes in political and economic conditions brought the Negev agricultural “experiment” to an abrupt end.
The way in which the wine producers of the area managed to grow vines in an area as arid as the Negev is an astonishing tale of agricultural genius – one that I will let the readers uncover for themselves. (for Hebrew readers, I attach my Shivta paper here with the full “untold” story). btw – Israeli wine producers have re-discovered the climate and terrain benefits, and the region is again exporting some superb wines.
Do not miss a visit to this place. Even if you are in Israel for only a short time.
