Yavne (Hebrew: יַבְנֶה) is a city in the Central District of Israel. In 2023 it had a population of 57,725.

Modern Yavne was established in 1949. It is located near the ruins of the ancient town of Yibna (known also as Jamnia and Jabneh), later the village of Yibna, and today the archeological site of Tel Yavne. Ancient Yavne holds a special place in Jewish history because of the ancient town's contribution to Judaism's recovery and reconstitution under sages ben Zakkai and Gamaliel II following the destruction of the Second Temple. This period, sometimes known as the "Yavne period", became a crucial mark in the development of Rabbinic Judaism. The city has a history of producing wine throughout much of antiquity, as indicated by both archeological findings and ancient sources.

In many English translations of the Bible, Yavne was known as Jabneh /ˈdʒæbnə/. In Greek and Latin-speaking sources, it was known as Jamnia (Ancient Greek: Ἰαμνία Iamníā; Latin: Iamnia). Under Late Roman and Byzantine rule, it had a mixed population of Christians, Jews, and Samaritans. Under the Crusaders, the city was known as Ibelin, and was where the House of Ibelin resided. During the Ottoman and British periods, it was known as Yibna (Arabic: يبنى). The ancient site is now found at the Tel Yavne archeological site, which is southeast of the modern city.

Yavne was one of the major ancient cities in the southern coastal plain, situated 20 km (12.43 mi) south of Jaffa, 15 km (9.32 mi) north of Ashdod, and 7 km (4.35 mi) east of the Mediterranean.

From excavations of the ancient tell (mound created by accumulation of archaeological remains) known as Tel Yavne (Hebrew), which developed on a natural kurkar hill, the area shows to have been inhabited continuously from either the Bronze or Iron Age until the British Mandate. During some periods, especially the Byzantine period, the settlement expanded to cover part of the plain and hills surrounding the tell. Yavne is mentioned in the Bible and other ancient texts.

In Roman times, the city was known as Iamnia or Jamnia. It was bequeathed by King Herod upon his death to his sister Salome. Upon her death it passed to Emperor Augustus, who ran it as a private imperial estate, a status retained for at least a century. After Salome's death, Iamnia came into the property of Livia, the future Roman empress, and then to her son Tiberius.^{[better source needed]}

In the 40s AD, a dispute emerged in Jamnia when Gentiles constructed a mud-brick altar to the Emperor, provoking the local Jewish population. The Jews destroyed the altar, which they saw as desecration. This led the Gentiles to complain to Capito, the imperial revenue collector in Judaea, who reported the matter to Emperor Caligula. In retaliation, Caligula ordered a statue of himself as Jupiter to be placed in the Holy of Holies at the Temple of Jerusalem.

Iamnia played a role in several events during the First Jewish–Roman War. In 66 AD, the Roman tribune Neapolitanus met with King Agrippa II in Iamnia, to inform him of his mission to investigate the situation in Jerusalem, following Florus' seizure of Temple funds and clashes between Jews and Roman troops. Later, in spring 68 AD, after the Roman army under Vespasian quelled the insurrection in Galilee, the army marched upon Iamnia and Azotus, taking both towns and stationing garrisons within them.