Palestine - Tell Umm Amer

The first settlement in the site was established during the Roman era on Wadi Gaza close to the seashore. It appears on the Madaba map with the name of Tabatha, dated from the Byzantine to the early Islamic period (400-670AD). The site contains the ruins of the monastery of Saint Hilarion (born in 291 AD), which consists of two churches, a burial site, a baptism hall, a public cemetery, an audience hall, and dining rooms. The monastery was provided with good infrastructure facilities, including water cisterns, clay-ovens and drainage channels. Its floors was partially paved with limestone, marble tiles and coloured mosaics, decorated with plants and animals scenes. A great fifth century mosaic was probably laid on the floor of a chapel. The floors include also a Greek inscription decorated with circular motifs. In addition, the monastery was equipped with baths, consisting of Frigedarium, Tepidarium and Caldarium halls. The wide space of these halls ensured that the baths could adequately serve the pilgrims and merchants crossing the Holy land fromEgyptto theFertile Crescentthrough the main route of Via Maris.