"A Greek Inscription and Architectural Fragments, Possibly of a Synagogue, from Sejara (Ilaniya)" (original) (raw)
Synagogues in Inscriptions from Asia Minor: The Iulia Severa Inscription Reconsidered
Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods, 2020
This is a review of inscriptions from Asia Minor mentioning synagogues, taking a tour from the north of the Anatolian peninsula to the very south, starting with those that are usually classified as Jewish. It also deals with presumably pagan inscriptions before finally reconsidering the famous inscription mentioning Iulia Severa, for which this article suggest that it might not be a Jewish inscription at all.
This article gives a preliminary excavation report about a building in the Lycian city of Limyra and the finds which were made in it. In the north-east corner ofthe building -the only part excavated so far -one room was equipped with a marble wall revetment and windows with glass of at least four different colors. Inside, a square water basin was supplied by collected rainwater which was channeled through a terracotta pipe into the basin. Some elements suggest that the basin was used for bathing. The entry to the building led from the main street into a vestibule, which was originally partially open at the front. At a later period, the floor ofthe building was raised to its current level by means oftwo stone slabs and two pillars which were in secondary use. The two slabs are remnants of chancel screens decorated with three menorah images. The front side ofone ofthe slabs is decorated also with a shoJ:t2r and the second one also with a !tJJ(]v. The combination of these features suggests that the building was connected with the Jewish community of Limyra. The chancel screens indicate that a synagogue was once located in the immediate vicinity. It is therefore not improbable that the building itselfwas this synagogue.
Revisiting Epigraphic Evidence of the Oldest Synagogue in Morocco in Volubilis
Arts , 2019
Volubilis was a Roman city located at the southwest extremity of the Roman Empire in modern-day Morocco. Several Jewish gravestone inscriptions in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, likely from the 3rd century CE, have been found there. One of them belongs to "Protopolites Kaikilianos, the head of a Jewish congregation (synagogue)", and it indicates the presence of a relatively big Jewish community in the city. The Hebrew inscription of "Matrona, daughter of Rabbi Yehuda" is unique occurrence of using the Hebrew language in such a remote region. The Latin inscription belongs to "Antonii Sabbatrai", likely a Jew. In addition, two lamps decorated with menorahs, one from bronze and one from clay, were found in Volubilis. In nearby Chellah, a Jewish inscription in Greek was also discovered. We revisit these inscriptions including their language, spelling mistakes, and their interpretations. We relate epigraphic sources to archaeological evidence and discuss a possible location of the synagogue in this remote city, which was the first synagogue in Morocco.
A CHRISTIAN PALESTINIAN ARAMAIC INSCRIPTION FROM THE TERRITORY OF SUSSIT A-ANTIOCHIA HIPPOS
ARAM, 2024
Excavations were conducted in February-April and November 2019 at the site of 'Uyun Umm el-' Azam West, ea. 3.8 km south of Sussita-Antiochia Hippos, in the southern Golan Heights and overlooking the Sea of Galilee. These excavations were undertaken on behalf of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, in the context of the Hippos Regional Project, which focuses on the study of rural sites and fortifications in the territory of Antiochia Hippos from the Hellenistic through to the Byzantine period.' Several building phases in the complex were uncovered. They included a tower, inner courtyard, and a room. The mixed Early Roman material found in the foundations of the tower might suggest an earlier date for its construction, with the tower completely rebuilt in the Byzantine period. The room known as 'The Mosaic Room' was divided, probably by a partition wall, as indicated by the gap in the mosaic running across the room. A set of rooms was built on the eastern side of the inner courtyard and against the tower including a large oven. This paper focuses on the Christian Palestinian Aramaic mosaic inscription from 'Uyun Umm el-'Azam West dedicated by a deaconess Thekla, its parallels, and its contribution to a better understanding of the ethnic and religious diversity in the Hippos territorium in the southern Levant and its environmental interactions.