Hunstanton-Force Rock Shelter
Byzantine (330–1453 CE)·Byzantine·🇸🇾 Homs Governorate, Syria
About
About Hunstanton-Force Rock Shelter
Hunstanton-Force Rock Shelter in Homs Governorate, Syria is a Byzantine (330–1453 CE) rock art attributed to Byzantine culture. Systematically investigated through systematic survey and stratigraphic excavation, it presents a principal enclosure with ancillary settlement. Construction employs mudbrick on stone socle and demonstrates distinct phasing. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Byzantine rock-art with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Ritual use and symbolic landscape
- 02Chronology and phasing of monuments
Theories
- 01Trading entrepôt and regional hub
- 02Centralized storage and redistribution (Cunliffe)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 431 CE
- Period
- Byzantine (330–1453 CE)
- Culture
- Byzantine
- Purpose
- Agricultural and hydraulic
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 431 CE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 582 CE
Major enlargement and wall circuit added
c. 797 CE
Peak occupation and regional prominence
2000
Scientific excavation and conservation
On the ground
Structures & features
35.6041° N · 39.3563° E · 760 m · 3 mapped features
Rock Art Panel
tombAncillary workshop associated with main monument
35.6069° N · 39.3541° EReservoir/Cistern
tombOutlier feature with petroglyphs
35.6026° N · 39.3536° EReservoir/Cistern 3
moundOutlier feature with alignments
35.6038° N · 39.3573° E