BETH YERAH

also spelled Bet Yerah, Arabic Khirbet Kerak ancient fortified settlement located at the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Beth Yerah was settled in the Early Bronze Age (c. 31002300 BC) and was also populated from the Hellenistic to the Arab periods (c. 2nd century BC to 12th century AD). Archaeological findings suggest that it may be the location of Philoteria, a town built by Ptolemy II of Philadelphus, and Sennabris, identified by Josephus as the northernmost point of the Jordan valley. Among the important archaeological finds at Beth Yerah are a Roman fort and bath, a synagogue, and a Christian basilica built in the 5th century AD and destroyed in the 7th century. A type of black and red Early Bronze Age pottery of Anatolian origin was discovered there and named Khirbet Kerak ware.