Raqit : Marinus' Estate on the Carmel, Israel

Between 1996 and 2002 a series of excavations took place on the site of a large estate villa at Raqit on Mount Carmel, the buildings of which occupied approximately two acres. The results are published here, with discoveries including an unroofed water reservoir, two burial caves (containing the remains of fifty individuals), oil and wine presses, agricultural terraces and workshops, and a synagogue. Supported throughout by photographs and illustrations of the remains, the report discusses each structure in detail before assessing what this extensive site, identified as belonging in the Roman period to the Marinus family, reveals about settlement patterns on Mount Carmel from the Persian to Byzantine periods. Appendices present discussions and catalogues of the dinds, including the human remains, decorative stonework, inscriptions, oil lamps, pottery and glass vessels, metal objects, animal remains and dendrochronology samples.