Yavneh-Yam in the byzantine-early islamic transition: The archaeological remains and their socio-political implications

Well-dated architectural and artefactual remains unearthed in recent excavations at the site of Yavneh-Yam, as well as several chance epigraphic finds, indicate that this harbour town was almost entirely abandoned by its original inhabitants during the first decades of Muslim rule, probably due to its transformation into a Muslim military stronghold (rihat) towards the late seventh century CE. Considered in conjunction with archaeological and historical evidence from other locations along the Palestinian Mediterranean coast, it seems that Yavneh-Yam was one of several urban and rural coastal settlements that were partially or fully abandoned between c. 640-700 CE, due to various short- and long-term factors in the aftermath of the Muslim conquest.