Horvat Uza

חורבת עוזה
Hurvat Uzza, overlooking Kina River at Arad Valley, Israel.
Shown within Israel
Location	Southern District, Israel
Region	Negev
Coordinates	31°12′33″N 35°09′56″E / 31.20917°N 35.16556°E / 31.20917; 35.16556
Type	Fortress
History
Periods	Iron Age
Cultures	Judahites

Horvat Uza (Hebrew: חורבת עוזה) is an archaeological site located in the northeast of the Negev desert in Israel. The site is located in the east of the Arad Valley and overlooks Nahal Qinah (Qinah Valley). In ancient times, forts were established there to control the wadi road, linking Judea to Arabah and the territory of Edom. It was mentioned as Qina by Josephus in book 15 of his Antiquities.^[1]

Several inscribed potsherds with inscriptions in Hebrew, dated to the 7th-century BCE, were found in Horvat Uza.

The site was first excavated in the 1950s by Nahman Avigad. The excavations revealed that the site was inhabited from the Iron Age II (9th-6th centuries BCE) until the Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries CE). The site was abandoned in the 7th century CE, possibly due to the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians.^[2]

The most notable finds from the site are a number of inscribed potsherds with inscriptions in Hebrew. The inscriptions date to the 7th century BCE and mention the name of the site, “Uza”. The inscriptions also mention the names of several people, including a man named “Ahaz” and a woman named “Ataliah”.

• "Inscribed potsherd (ostracon), Horvat Uza, Iron Age II, 7th century BCE, Ink on pottery". The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Retrieved 27 May 2021. Photo of Horvat Uza ostracon, inscribed with the text "Ten: Menahem son of H[…]; Neryahu son of Semak[yahu]; Neryahu son of Mishk[an]ya[hu]; Netanyahu son of Hoteb; Uriyahu son of Shelem[yahu]; Gedalyahu son of Uriyah[u]; Yadinyahu son of Shephat[yahu]; Hoduyahu son of […]."