The Monastery of Sinai and the Living Quarters of its Roman Guardians
The history of the excavations of the monastery and Justinian fortress in the surrounding area
Excavations conducted by the Hellenic Archaeological Mission at South Sinai at the east/southeast of Saint Catherine’s monastery and close to its fortification wall from 2000 to 2010 brought to light three building complexes.
Complex I is of an almost square plan, measuring more than 50 x 50 meters, surrounded by an enclosure wall and including rectangular rooms of more or less equal dimensions, adjoined to one another. Complex II, located to the south of Complex I, is smaller, about 17 x 15.50 meters, and differently oriented due to the sloping ground. Complex III lies between the previous ones and has not been fully excavated.
The majority of the finds, the study of which is in progress, comprise shards of late Roman coarse ware, mostly cooking and storage jars. Moreover, fragments of late Roman red slipware, mostly belonging to Egyptian categories, were revealed; they seem to be dated in their overwhelming majority to the seventh century. Fragments of glass vessels, clay lamps, and a few coins also came to light. Small scale metal finds shed light on aspects of everyday life of the inhabitants of the site. Door locks, keys, nails, chains for lamps, medical tools, and knives point to the activi- ties of the population.
The multitude of hearth sand, and the masses of copper alloy and iron that came to light, indicate the existence of a metal workshop. It seems that in this workshop copper alloy and iron tools and weapons were either produced or repaired to serve the needs of the inhab- itants. The function of the workshop may probably be related to the most recent phase of the site’s habitation.
The excavated site has been identified with the Phylakterion, the fortress built by Justinian, as known from written sources. According to Prokopios’ De aedificiis (V.8,5-9), during the construction of the Sinai monastery Justinian built a phylakterion (“a keep”) for the protection of the monastery. Furthermore, in describing the information concerning the foundation of the monastery by Justinian, Eutychios, Patriarch of Alexandria in the tenth century, refers to the installation of two hundred men with their families as guardians and servants of the monastery (PG 111, 1071-1072). Specifically, mention is made about the construction of dwellings for them in a fortress to the east of the monastery. Eutychios connects the abandonment of the place with the years of the caliphate of Abd al Malik ibn Marwan (685-705), which is in accord with the archaeological finds and the excavation data. SKV–MPK
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