Welfare and Hosting buildings in the “Holy Land” between the 4th and the 7th c. AD

ended

Between the 4th and the 7th century AD, many hospices dedicated to the poor, elderly, strangers and travelers were built in the countryside, along roads, around and inside cities. They were commissioned by the Church, rich pious men and women concerned by the redeem of their sins, as well as emperors who saw this as a guarantee of social stability. Welfare is thus an important phenomena of Late Antiquity, abundantly mentioned by ancient literary sources and inscriptions, particularly in the eastern part of the Empire. However, the buildings that provided shelter and care to the needy have not yet received sufficient attention from archaeologists. Except for buildings which were identified by their inventors as hostels dedicated to pilgrims, they are still invisible in the field. The aim of the HOLYHOST research project is to bring this social history’s main topic on the field of archaeology. It will address the welfare issue through the archaeological and architectural survey and study of Ancient welfare and hosting establishments’ remains, in the Holy Land (Palestine and Jordan) and around. This work will contribute to a better understanding of the practices linked to hospitality, welfare, accommodation and care in Antiquity. Moreover, such establishments served as models for medieval and modern Islamic, Jewish and Christian waqf institutions (religious endowment), and welfare continues to be highly relevant nowadays, through issues still at the heart of contemporary challenges debated in Europe: poverty, social exclusion, migrant crisis, principle of reception and hospitality. This interdisciplinary and diachronic research project will thus offer many new research perspectives, in terms of history of architecture, evolution of care practices, social and political regulations.