Kaukaba كوكبا Kawkaba | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
.jpg) The bridge overLitani River by Kaukaba, byvan de Velde, in 1851 | |
  Kaukaba Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates:33°23′44″N35°38′18″E / 33.39556°N 35.63833°E /33.39556; 35.63833 | |
| Grid position | 140/162 L |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Hasbaya District |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
كوكبا | |
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| Location | 5 miles fromRashaya,Lebanon |
|---|---|
| Type | Rock Shelter |
| Part of | Settlement |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c. 8200-6200 BC |
| Periods | PPNB,Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1957, 1964 |
| Archaeologists | P. Billaux, F. Skeels, L. Skeels |
| Condition | ruins |
| Public access | Yes |
Kaukaba,Kaukabet El-Arab orKaukaba Station is a municipality in theHasbaya District in theNabatieh Governorate in southernLebanon.
By the village is aNeolithic archaeological site East ofMajdel Balhis nearRashaya in theBeqaa Valley,Lebanon. It was first found by P. Billaux in 1957 who alertedJesuit Archaeologists, FathersHenri Fleisch and Tallon. Open air site excavations by L. and F. Skeels were also carried out in 1964.[1]
The rock shelter site lies amongst fields covered withbasalt boulders from ancientlava flows. It is in a low pass from the Karaoun Dam to Rashaya. This area is close to the 4 heads of theJordan River and is drained by feeders such as theDan,Banias,Hasbani and Upper Jordan rivers, North ofHasbaya.[2][3]
Artefacts found on the surface includedflintaxes,sickles,obsidian,basalt vessels andarrowheads dated to the oldestNeolithic periods. Prominent artefacts found included a series of flint picks with heavily worn points due to extremely heavy usage. Fragments of agricultural tools such as basalthoes have been found with very slight dating suggesting the 6th millennium or earlier. Flints were not knapped on site and the centre of the hoe production has not yet been found.[4][5][6]
In 1838, during theOttoman era,Eli Smith noted the population of Kaukaba asMaronite andDruze,[7] while in 1875,Victor Guérin found the population to mostly beMaronite.[8]
In 2014Christians made up 98.54% of registered voters in Kaukaba. 88.13% of the voters wereMaronite Catholics.[9]
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