The history
The name of the Jewish city Beit Guvrin was changed by the Romans to Eleutheropolis (Free City) in the 3rd century CE (~1,800 years ago, after the Bar Kochva revolts).
It was then occupied by Muslim Arabs in the 7th century CE (~1400 years ago), destroyed by Bedouin tribes in the 8th century CE (~1,300 years ago), occupied and rebuilt by Christian Crusaders in the 12th century CE (~900 years ago) and called Bethgibelin (or Beth Giblen).
It was then occupied and again called Beit Jibrin (Arabic variation) by Arabs, before being occupied by the Mamluks (~750 years ago).
The Ottomans eventually conquered the area (~500 years ago), then the British administered it from the end of WW1 until 1948.
After Israel's war for independence, Kibbutz Beit Guvrin was built in the western part of the ancient city, where it stands today.
The archeology
There's a Roman amphitheater, bathhouses and a church.
The amphitheater was built in the 2nd century CE (~1,900 years ago) and could sit around 3,500 people.
The "slaves" who were forced to fight were often Jews from the surrounding area who participated in revolts.
There's Byzantine churches, and a Crusader fortress and church (with a mosque built on top).
When you walk around you can see all of these different groups building on top of each other.
In some cases parts of older buildings were destroyed and reused to build the new ones.
This is especially clear with the blocked gate and pillars used by Mamluks to reinforce walls.
Here are some of our favorite pictures from the ruins.
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