This article is about the town from its earliest times until its settlement by the Arabs. For the more recent history of the town, see al-Karmil. For the nearby modern Israeli settlement named after the Biblical Carmel, see Carmel, Har Hebron. For other uses, see Carmel.
Carmel was an ancient Israelite town in Judea, lying about 11.2 kilometres (7.0 mi) from Hebron, on the southeastern frontier of Mount Hebron.[1][2] According to the Bible, Saul erected a victory monument in Carmel to memorialize his triumph over Amalek.[3]
The site is generally identified with the Arab village of al-Karmil.[3]
In the Hebrew Bible
There are several references to Carmel in the Bible. Carmel is mentioned as a city of Judah in the Books of Samuel and also in Joshua 15:55. It is mentioned as the place where Saul erects a monument after the expedition against the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:12). Carmel is mentioned in 1 Samuel 25:2 as the place of Nabal's possessions, who was the husband of Abigail.[4][5]
Beside the agricultural importance of the site, Carmel had also a strategic importance because of it containing the only reliable natural spring of water in the immediate area,[1] which waters are collected in a man-made pool. Carmel, in relation to Maon, lies directly to its north, within close proximity.[dubious – discuss]
Roman and Byzantine period
Man-made pool at Carmel (al-Karmil)
Mentioned in Eusebius' Onomasticon as a village "10 milestones east [sic] of Hebron,"[6] the village housed a Roman garrison after the Bar Kochba revolt.[7][8] The Jewish settlement is thought to have prospered until the Persian army of Chosroes forced the Roman garrison of Heraclius' army to leave Palestine. With a lack of market for their wine, the Jewish settlement declined, with the synagogue finally being abandoned in the 9th century.
In the Byzantine era, around the 6th or 7th century CE, a church was built here, on the western side of the remains.[9][10][11] Outlines of a further two churches were uncovered to the immediate north and south.[12]
The abandoned synagogue, which still stands in the Palestinian town now known as al-Karmil, is one of the best preserved ancient synagogues in the West Bank.[13]
^ abLemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 90. ISBN978-0-8108-4848-1.
^Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible, 1832. p 280
^In typical old-style error of the use of quadrants to determine cardinal directions, as the actual location of Khirbet al-Karmil (Carmel) is south, southeast of Hebron, rather than due east.
Amit, David (n.d.). "Khirbet al-Karmil". In Ben-Yosef, Sefi (ed.). Israel Guide - Judaea (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country) (in Hebrew). Vol. 9. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House, in affiliation with the Israel Ministry of Defence. OCLC745203905.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
Chapman III, Rupert L.; Taylor, J.E., eds. (2003). Palestine in the Fourth Century A.D.: The Onomasticon by Eusebius of Caesarea. Translated by G.S.P. Freeman-Grenville. Jerusalem: Carta. ISBN965-220-500-1. OCLC937002750.
