Archives: Synagogues

Download Spreadsheet: Building

Dates Excavated:

1978-1980 and 1985

Excavator(s):

Zvi Uri Ma’oz

Archaeological Information: Area A, Stratum IIIA-Stratum IIIB-Stratum II[686]

Date of Building Construction:

beginning of the 6th century[687]

Place of Building in Settlement:
In the middle of a settlement, at the apex of the hill, at the southwestern end of a ridge.[688]

Building Description:
An east-west trapezoid-shaped basilica with two rows of four columns.[689] The building had a door in the center of the western wall and another at the east side of the north wall. Several steps led down from this entrance onto the synagogue floor, which apparently was made of basalt slabs but has not been preserved. Possibly, there was a gallery above the aisles. Carved reliefs and an Aramaic inscription on a stone block were found around the synagogue and reused in nearby houses. The building was transformed into a granary in the 20^th century, using the synagogue’s foundations and lower walls. A new pavement was installed, made of large stone blocks.[690]

Maps and Plans

Other Materials

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First Deposit

Date Excavated: 1978-1979

Deposit Location:

Under the floor, in the foundation fill

Archaeological Information:

Stratum IIIA: L114, L121a, L135, L151 (sandy upper layer)

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? No

Deposit Type: IB6

Deposit Description:

To date the synagogue, blocks from the pavement of the building were removed in four probes: in the north-eastern part of the hall, along the northern row of columns, and above the westernmost column in the south row.[691] Underneath the pavement, a layer of loose, sandy soil was discovered that was very dark, almost black in color (L114, L121a, L135, L151).[692] This layer was about 0.15 m deep and was completely sieved: 234 coins, as well as modern objects such as shell casings stamped in 1949, were discovered.[693] The excavators suggest that this layer is a mixture of the foundation fill of the synagogue with soil brought in more recently to stabilize the new granary floor. The original synagogue floor appears not to have survived. Underneath this sandy layer, a compact layer of reddish soil was found.

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:
In a 1980 preliminary publication, Ariel published a summary of 339 coins found at Horvat Kanaf, representing all coins from the 1978 excavations and a handful of coins from the 1979 season. However, as it is unclear which belonged to the upper, dark layer (deposit 1) and which to the lower, reddish layer (deposit 2), all the coins are presented together. In 2011, Ma’oz published a detailed analysis of the architecture of the building, but no further details on the coins are provided. He mentions that “all in all about a thousand coins and tokens were found, about 500 of which were identified.”[694] However, in her MA thesis, Ahipaz states that the upper layer contained 234 coins and the lower layer 278 coins, for a total of 512 coins.[695] So instead of the 58 broken coins (see footnote 693), were 500 coins discarded and did Ahipaz only see the 500 coins that were kept? Finally, in 2015, Donald Ariel published all the synagogue coins in Ma’oz’s final excavation report. He identified 234 coins coming from this deposit, for which he provides dates and minting places. In the IAA database, information could be found on 126 coins from this deposit (meaning that 108 coins were not legible and thus were not entered into the database system). The coins range from 218-222 CE (Elagabalus) to 457-474 CE (Leo I). One coin was a clipped Mamluk coin, dated to 1250-1517 CE. Another coin, indicated in the database as a “problem” coin, can be dated to 1300-1400 CE. These later coins presumably are later intrusions. Not taking into account these intrusions, there is one coin dated to the 3^rd century, 56 to the 4^th century (44.5%), and 67 to the 5^th century (53%). Almost all the coins came from eastern mints, except for three minted in Rome.

Other Images

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Horvat Kanaf, Deposit 1. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

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Second Deposit

Date Excavated: 1978-1979

Deposit Location:

Under the floor, in the foundation fill

Archaeological Information:

Stratum IIIA: L116, L121b, L168, L169 (red, lower layer)

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? No

Deposit Type: IB6

Deposit Description:

To date the synagogue, blocks from the pavement of the building were removed in four probes: in the north-eastern part of the hall, along the northern row of columns, and above the westernmost column in the southern row.[696] Underneath the pavement, a layer of loose, sandy soil was discovered that was very dark, almost black in color. Underneath this sandy layer, a compact layer of reddish soil was found (L116, L121b, L168, L169). This is the original foundation fill of the synagogue building, deposited and pressed to level the natural bedrock. The fill slopes from the center of the nave to the north and south and surrounds foundation stylobates made of fieldstones.[697] In this layer, the excavators found 289 coins.

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:
As mentioned under Deposit 1, Ariel published a coin catalogue of the Horvat Kanaf coins in 1980, but did not distinguish between Deposit 1 and Deposit 2, so it is impossible to say here which coins came from which locus or layer. In 2011, Ma’oz published a small booklet on the architecture of the Horvat Kanaf synagogue, and mentioned that “in Locus 166, this layer contained 148 coins, the latest of which dated to Emperor Anastasius I (491-518 CE). This is also the latest coin in the foundation fill.”[698] However, in her 2015 MA thesis, Ahipaz does not mention a Locus 166; only Loci 116, 121b, 168, and 169.[699] So, were the 148 coins part of her analysis, or not? Finally, Ariel published the coins in more detail in the Horvat Kanaf final excavation report from 2015. He gives information on 289 coins from Loci 116, 121b, 168, and 169, but again, no coins are mentioned from Locus 166.
At the IAA, information on 275 coins can be found from these loci (suggesting that 14 coins were illegible). The coins range from 276-282 CE to 512-518 CE, with most of the coins dating to the late 4^th century, all coming from eastern mints, except 4 from Rome, giving a similar profile to the coins from Deposit 1.

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Horvat Kanaf, Deposit 2. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

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References

Bibliography:

– Oliphant L., 1886, “New Discoveries,” in: Palestine Exploration Fund. Quarterly Statement, January 1886, pp. 75-76
– Sukenik E.L., 1935, “The Ancient Synagogue of El-Hammeh,” in: The Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society, pp. 174-178
– Hüttenmeister F. & Reeg G., 1977, Die Antiken Synagogen in Israel, 2 vols., Wiesbaden: L. Reichert, pp. 308-310
– Ariel D.T., 1980, “Coins from the synagogue at Horvat Kanef. Preliminary Report,” in: Israel Numismatic Journal, Vol. 4, pp. 59-62
– Chiat M., 1982, Handbook of Synagogue Architecture, Chico: Scholars Press, pp. 265-267
– Ma’oz Z., 1981, “The Art and Architecture of the synagogues of the Golan,” in: Levine L. (ed.), Ancient Synagogues Revealed, Jerusalem: The Israel Exploration Society, pp. 98-115
– Naveh J. & Shaked S., 1985, Amulets and Magic Bowls, Leiden: Brill, pp. 24, 44-54 nos 2,3
– Ilan Z., 1991, Ancient Synagogues in Israel, Tel Aviv: Ministry of Defence, pp. 89-90 (Hebrew)
– Ma’oz Z., 1993, “Kanaf, Horvat,” in: NEAEHL, pp. 847-850
– Ma’oz Z., 1995, Ancient Synagogues in the Golan, Art and Architecture, Qazrin: Golan Archaeological Museum, pp. 130-148 (Hebrew)
– Urman D. 1995, “Mazra’at Kanaf,” in: Urman D. & Flesher P. (eds.), Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery, Vol. 2, Leiden: Brill, pp. 534-541
– Milson D., 2007, Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine: in the Shadow of the Church, Leiden/Boston, pp. 388-389
– Ma’oz Z., 2011, Deir Aziz and Kanaf: the Architecture of Two Ancient Synagogues, Qazrin: Archaostyle, pp. 56-93
– Spigel C., 2012, Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities: Methodology, Analysis and Limits, Mohr Siebeck, pp. 236-239
– Hachlili R., 2013, Ancient Synagogues: Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research, Leiden: Brill, pp. 112, 114, 195, 247, 438, 463, 537, 547, 598
– Ma’oz Z., 2015, Horvat Kanaf: Excavations in 1978–1980 and 1985, Final Report (Archaostyle Scientific Research Series 14), Qazrin: Archaostyle
– Ahipaz N., 2015, The Custom of the Ritual Burial of Coins in Synagogues, MA thesis, pp. 34-38 (Hebrew)
– Zingboym O., “Horvat Kanaf – New Excavations of the Synagogue: Was a Third-Fourth Century Synagogue Uncovered?”, in: Mikhmanim (in print, Hebrew)

Website(s):

– The Bornblum Eretz Israel Synagogues Website:
http://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/kanaf/
– Bible Walks:
https://biblewalks.com/sites/Kanaf.html

Footnotes

[686] Ma’oz 1993, p. 847: Stratum IIIA: Middle Byzantine Period (beginning of the sixth century CE): construction of a synagogue. Stratum IIIB: Late Byzantine Period (second half of the sixth century CE): reconstruction of the synagogue following an earthquake (?), construction of a platform in front of the synagogue on the west. Stratum II: Mamluk to Ottoman periods (thirteenth – sixteenth centuries): dwellings next to the synagogue; (undefined) use of the synagogue and its front platform. The early 6^th century construction date is based on the discovery of a follis of Anastasius I (498) under the floor.

[687] This terminus post quem date is based on pottery and coins found in the fill below the floor, in the foundation level of the synagogue.

[688] The building was already discovered by Sir Lawrence Oliphant in 1885 and described by Eleazar Lipa Sukenik after he visited the place in 1932. After 1967 the site was surveyed several times by Shmaryahu Gutman, Claire Epstein, and others (Ma’oz 1993, p. 847; Urman 1995, pp. 534-535, Ma’oz 2011, pp. 60-61; Ahipaz 2015, p. 34).

[689] Ma’oz 1993, p. 848 mentions two rows of eight columns, but published maps of the building only show two rows of four columns (Ilan 1991, pp. 89-90; Spigel 2012a, p. 239; Hachlili 2013, p. 112).

[690] Ma’oz 2011, p. 60.

[691] Ma’oz 2011, p. 89.

[692] In this layer, the soil was dense and hard to excavate, and visibly different from the loose dirt above it. Therefore, the excavators concluded there were no later disturbances in these loci and that this layer belonged to the foundation of the synagogue building (Ahipaz 2015, p. 36, footnote 7). However, the Mamluk coin found in L135 indicates some disturbance.

[693] Hachlili 2015, p. 36, Ma’oz 2015, pp. 180-181. Because the synagogue building was incorporated into a modern construction with a roof, it was too dark inside to see any coins in situ. Hence, all soil was hauled out in buckets and sifted outside the building. It is thus impossible to say where the coins came from exactly, but they were dispersed over the entirety of the surface where the pavement stones were removed. 58 coins from the site were also discarded on the spot because they were broken, heavily eroded, or crumbled (personal communication Zvi Ma’oz). Unfortunately, no pictures were taken.

[694] Ma’oz 2011, p. 91.

[695] Ahipaz 2015, p. 36. Approximately this same quantity is given by Ariel in his 2015 analysis, in which he states that “in fact 523 [coins] were excavated from all of the excavations inside the synagogue” (Ariel 2015, p. 179).

[696] Ma’oz 2011, p. 89.

[697] Ahipaz 2015, p. 36.

[698] Ma’oz 2011, p. 91.

[699] Ahipaz 2015, p. 36.

Download Spreadsheet: Building

Dates Excavated:

1978-1979

Excavator(s):

Zvi Uri Ma’oz

Archaeological Information: Stratum II [671]

Date of Building Construction:

around 475 CE [672]

Place of Building in Settlement:
At the edge of the site, on its northwestern slope, near a circular structure built over the spring. [673]

Building Description:
A basilical synagogue with two rows of three columns. The main entrance to the building was in the short south wall, and a smaller door at the southern end of the east wall was discovered leading to an eastern annex room. A small, covered portico to the south of the building might have been built at a later stage. This portico was paved with fine ashlars. [674] The synagogue features numerous animal sculptures, and Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew dedicatory inscriptions were found on plaster and architectural features inside the building. Along all the walls were three tiers of benches. Next to the south wall, an impression in the floor and a stone step indicate the location of a platform. The building had a plaster floor with a bedding of basalt gravel mixed with plaster. The building was robbed of its architectural elements after it went out of use so that especially the south side is hard to reconstruct.

Maps and Plans

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First Deposit

Date Excavated: 1978

Deposit Location:

Under the paving outside the threshold of the main entrance to the synagogue; south of the southern wall of the building (in the portico). [682]

Archaeological Information:

Locus 109, south of W1, stratum IIB (Baskets 1070, 1070/2, 1070/3, 1047, 1053, 1135, and 1136. [675]

Certain association with the building itself? Yes (?)

Deposit Retrievable? No

Deposit Type: IIB6

Deposit Description:

193 coins were found during official excavations under the pavement in front of the south, main entrance to the synagogue (in the portico area). The locus was identified as a “robber’s pit”: robbers supposedly had destroyed a large section of this pavement and created a pit measuring 3.50 X 1.65 meters and 1.00 meters deep.[676] The coins were mostly found during sifting and had been scattered around the width and depth of the pit. According to Ariel and Ahipaz, another 224 coins were found and retrieved from this same pit by Sami Bar-Lev and Muni Ben-Ari during their visit to the site in 1970 (cf. fn. 673).[677] Last, local inhabitants of the Kibbutz Merom Golan visited the site between 1970 and 1978 and removed hundreds of small coins from this pit.[678] In total, about 500 coins eventually made their way to the Israel Antiquities Authority, where they are stored today.[679] It is important to note, however, that the excavators did not remove any additional pavement stones from the portico beyond this pit. Thus, many more coins might still be in situ under the rest of the portico floor.

Container Present? No [680]

Description of Coins:
115 identifiable bronze coins from this locus were published by Ariel in 1987 and by Ariel and Ahipaz in an updated report in 2010. According to them, the deposit ranges between 307 CE and 423 CE (Constantinian dynasty). The latest coin could be dated to the emperor Honorius (408-423 CE). However, after going through the IAA database, 186 identified coins were found as coming from ‘En Nashut, Locus 109.[681] It is unclear why not all these coins have been published in the final report or why there are so many discrepancies between the published lists and the IAA database. It is also unclear what happened to the 317 coins that could not be found in the IAA database under Locus 109. After consultation with Ariel, for this project it was decided to follow the analysis of the coins according to the IAA information. The reader should thus use caution comparing this database to the original publications. Of the 186 identified coins, only 118 could be dated: they range from 330-335 CE (Constantine I) to 408-423 CE (Honorius I), with a majority minted under Theodosius I and Arcadius. Almost all the coins come from eastern mints, with the exception of a coin minted in Trier (337-341 CE, Constantius II) and two coins from Rome (341-346 CE, Constans I and 383-387 CE).

Other Images

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table 'En Nashut, Deposit 1. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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Second Deposit

Date Excavated: 1979

Deposit Location:

Next to the foundations of the room west of the synagogue, adjacent to wall 4 on its northern exposed edge. [682]

Archaeological Information:

Locus 133, west of W4, end of stratum III or beginning stratum II (Baskets 1164, 1164/5)

Certain association with the building itself? No

Deposit Retrievable? Unknown

Deposit Type: II?6

Deposit Description:

Outside the western wall of the synagogue, on the south side, the foundations of three walls were recovered: W2, W3, and W4. The axis of W4 was diagonal to the synagogue’s western wall (W8). The synagogue wall 8 itself was missing in this area and therefore there is no visible connection between W4 and the synagogue building. However, the masonry of W4 is different from that of the synagogue, as is its orientation. The excavators thus believe that the three walls represent a small structure that stood here before the synagogue was constructed.[683] This room was not sealed, but was “covered by a robbers’ dump of about 1.5 meters high.”[684] West of W4, a trench was dug on the northern edge (Locus 133). In this locus, a deposit of 51 coins was discovered. It is unclear if this deposit can be connected to the synagogue. It is possible that the structure to the west was a side room or shed used at the same time as the synagogue (see footnote 682).[685]

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:
34 identifiable bronze coins from this locus were published by Ariel in 1987 and by Ariel and Ahipaz in an updated report in 2010. According to them, the deposit ranged between the third century CE and 425-450 CE (Theodosius II or Valentinian III). However, the IAA database revealed 42 coins coming from ‘En Nashut, Locus 133. It is unclear why not all coins were published in the final excavation report. Of the 42 coins at the IAA, 32 could be dated. They range from 341-346 CE (Constantius II) to 425-450 CE. Most coins come from eastern mints, but some coins were minted in Rome and Trier, and one in Arles. Thus, both in chronology and minting places, this deposit found in a room next to the synagogue follows the deposit found just outside the threshold of the synagogue main entrance. The “100-300 CE” coin published by Ariel could not be found at the IAA. According to the publication, the coin depicts a hexastyle temple on the reverse side, but no precise date or emperor could be given. The coin has been included in this project, but the reader should be aware that its current location is unknown.

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table 'En Nashut, Deposit 2. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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References

Bibliography:

– Hüttenmeister F. & Reeg G., 1977, Die Antiken Synagogen in Israel, 2 vols., Wiesbaden: L. Reichert, pp. 114-115
– Ma’oz Z., 1979, “’En Nashut (Golan),” in: Hadashot Arkheologiyot, Vol. 69-71, pp. 27-29 (Hebrew)
– Chiat M., 1982, Handbook of Synagogue Architecture, Chico: Scholars Press, p. 276
– Ariel D.T., 1987, “Coins from the Synagogue at ‘En Nashut,” in: Israel Exploartion Journal, Vol. 37, pp. 147-157
– Ma’oz Z., 1988, “Ancient Synagogues of the Golan,” in: Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 121-124
– Ilan Z., 1991, Ancient Synagogues in Israel, Tel Aviv: Ministry of Defence, pp. 101-102 (Hebrew)
– Ma’oz z., 1993, “En Nashut,” in: NEAEHL, pp. 412-414
– Ma’oz Z., 1995, Ancient Synagogues in the Golan, Art and Architecture, Qazrin: Golan Archaeological Museum, pp. 73-104 (Hebrew)
– Urman D., 1995, “Public Structures and Jewish Communities in the Golan Heights,” in: Urman D. & Flesher P. (eds.), Ancient synagogues: Historical analysis and Archaeological discovery, Vol. 2, Leiden: Brill, pp. 439-447
– Dauphin C. 1998, La Palestine Byzantine: Peuplement et Population, Oxford, Vol. 3, p. 531
– Milson D., 2007, Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine: in the Shadow of the Church, Leiden/Boston, pp. 346-347
– Ma’oz Z., 2010, En Nashut: the Art and Architecture of a Synagogue in the Golan, Qazrin: Archaostyle
– Spigel C., 2012, Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities: Methodology, Analysis and Limits, Mohr Siebeck, pp. 191-194
– Hachlili R., 2013, Ancient Synagogues: Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research, Leiden: Brill, pp. 112, 113-114, 159-160, 177-178, 545-546, 597
– Ahipaz N., 2015, The Custom of the Ritual Burial of Coins in Synagogues, MA thesis, pp. 39-42 (Hebrew)

Website(s):

– The Bornblum Eretz Israel Synagogues Website:
http://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/en-nashut/
– Israel Antiquities Authority:
http://www.iaa-conservation.org.il/Projects_Item_eng.asp?subject_id=10&site_id=72&id=162

Footnotes

[671] Consists of Stratum II(B), the construction of the synagogue in the 5^th century, and Stratum IIA, modifications to the synagogue, possibly in the 6^th century. For a full architectural overview, see Ma’oz 2010, pp. 26-49.

[672] Ma’oz 2010. In earlier publications Ma’oz preferred a construction date of the mid-5^th century based on the coins found in probes below the floor level (Ma’oz 1988 and 1993). However, if some of the youngest coins found in the hoards can indeed be dated to 425-450 CE and even 474-491 CE (see below), then a construction terminus post quem date of 475 CE, as he states in later publications, seems more likely. Urman 1995 p. 443 disputes these late dates: “perhaps the structure at ‘Ein Nashot was built at an early period — second, third, or fourth century C.E. — and in the fifth century was restored or had its floor replaced.” However, this interpretation would also mean that the southern pavement with its floor slabs must have been added to the building only in the 5^th century (based on the youngest coins found in Locus 109, see below) and that the room to the west of the building, in which coins dated to the 5^th century have been found next to the foundations (see below), was built later than the synagogue building, and not earlier. I would agree that a terminus post-quem of 475 CE is correct.

[673] Ma’oz 1993, p. 412. The site was first identified as a synagogue by Sami Bar-Lev and Moshe Hartal in 1971, who were members of the “Villages Survey” headed by Dan Urman. According to Zvi Ma’oz, the two returned to the site at some point and removed around 270 coins from a pit (which was later labeled Locus 109) and gave them to the Department of Antiquities (Ma’oz 2010, pp. 14-15).

[674] Ma’oz 1993, p. 413.

[675] Every day, the excavators made a new Basket as more and more coins popped up.

[676] In the pit, pieces of plastic were found, which indicated to the excavators that the robber’s pit was modern, possibly from the 1960s (personal communication Zvi Ma’oz).

[677]Ariel and Ahipaz, 2010, p. 138; Ahipaz 2015, p. 40. Bar Lev and Ben-Ari were Staff Officers for Archaeology for the State of Israel. Unfortunately, they did not leave any records of their excavations, but handed the coins over to Donald Ariel in 1966-1977. Among these was one dated to Zeno (474-491 CE), which would push the construction of the pavement and thus the synagogue to 475 CE or later.

[678] The members of the kibbutz saw coins falling from the edges of the pit and collected them. As far as Ma’oz knows, all the coins were handed over to the IAA (personal communication). However, it is unknown how many more coins might have been removed by hikers, tourists, and other people passing by the site between 1971 and 1978.

[679] Ma’oz 2010, p. 15; Ariel and Ahipaz, 2010, p. 138; personal communication Donald Ariel.

[680] Ariel 1987, p. 151: “The deposit was not found in any preserved container. From their distribution, it seems likely that they did not come from some friable container which later disintegrated, but rather that they were deposited together during the construction of the synagogue.”

[681] According to Ariel, locus numbers were not always made for random coin finds on site, so the coins are probably in the IAA depot but the connection between coin and locus is lost. For example, a small bag of coins that did not have L109 written on it was given another unidentified registration number when the coins came in.

[682] Ma’oz 1988, pp. 25-26 and 124: he believes this room precedes the synagogue stratum II building and might have been part of an older synagogue construction. If this room is indeed older than the synagogue building of Stratum II, then this synagogue could not have been built earlier than the second half of the 5^th century. The youngest coin in the Locus 133 hoard dates to 425-450 CE and the coins were found next to the foundations of the room: common sense dictates that the room would have stood in use for at least a little while before it was demolished to build the new synagogue. If the room was a small storage room or shed built against the wall of the stratum II synagogue from the outside, however, it would be younger than the synagogue building proper and this would push the date of the construction of this building to an earlier period. Ma’oz, however, believes this is not the case because of architectural arguments: the walls (W2, W3, and W4) are built out of fieldstones, as opposed to the ashlars of the synagogue building, and they stand in a diagonal angle against the western wall of the building (W8). Unfortunately, this room is not fully depicted on the published plan (only W3 has been drawn in), nor are there photographs of the walls. The exact relationship between the room and the synagogue is thus unclear.

[683] Ma’oz 2010, p. 25.

[684] See the notes of Ma’oz in the IAA archives, dated to April 28, 1980.

[685] During the excavations, probe pits were also made inside the synagogue building, mainly in spots where the plaster floor or parts of the benches were missing, usually because of stone robbing. Although some coins were found in those areas, no clusters could be discerned which would count as coin deposits (this could of course be explained by robbers taking any coins that they encountered). No metal detector was used on site to search for more coin groups and it is possible that more deposits are still in situ (Ahipaz 2015, pp. 41-42).

Download Spreadsheet: Building

Dates Excavated:

1998-2004

Excavator(s):

Zvi Uri Ma’oz and Chaim Ben-David

Archaeological Information: /

Date of Building Construction:

Phase I: mid-6^th century[642]
Phase II: late 6^th century[643]

Place of Building in Settlement:
On a slope, halfway between the top of the village ruins and a spring in the valley. [644]

Building Description:
The synagogue is an east-west hall with two rows of four columns in an east-west direction. The building had at least two phases in the Byzantine period:[645]
Phase I: The synagogue had two entrances to the building on the east side. Three rows of benches lined all the walls except between the Torah shrine and the southeast corner on the south wall.[646] Nine steps were found along the northern wall, which could have led to an upper gallery. The floor that currently occupies the eastern side might belong to this phase.[647] At the south edge of this side of the hall, the pavement does not reach the outer edge of a small “wall” that runs parallel to the south wall of the synagogue. This gap in the floor might indicate the existence of benches here in the first Phase, which were replaced by a “wall.” The “wall” does not serve any structural function and the excavators have suggested it was a bemah.
Phase II: a semi-circular apse was added to the west side of the southern wall with a diameter of 1.95 m and extending out of the wall for about 1.25 m. The floor of this niche consisted of 5 cm thick solid plaster and had a small (25 cm diameter) impression of a column, perhaps a base for a menorah or decoration for a Torah shrine. A platform was constructed in front of this apse, perhaps as the base for a wooden staircase going up to the apse.[648] At the interior right-hand corner of the apse was a tiny cabinet; as the cabinet was found empty, its function is unknown.[649] At this point, the synagogue had only one door in the eastern wall, slightly off center to the north. The stone slabs currently occupying the western side of the synagogue hall probably belonged to this phase.[650]

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First Deposit

Date Excavated: 2004

Deposit Location:

Next to the benches along the northern wall of the synagogue, in the western half of the building.

Archaeological Information:

Phase 1 of the synagogue building, Locus 175 (Basket 2002)

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? Unknown

Deposit Type: I?4

Deposit Description:

In some areas of the western side of the synagogue’s main hall no floor flagstones survived.[651] Thus, the excavators decided to dig below the floor level in these areas. In a trench dug next to the benches along the northern wall of the building, between the second northern column from the west and the northern bench, 2027 bronze coins were discovered as a group in a small, hewn pit covered by stone slabs.[652] The pit reached a depth of about 0.95 m below the floor level and was sealed off from the layer above it (which also contained coins; Deposit 3) by the stone blocks. Possibly, the deposit belonged to the first phase of the synagogue building.[653] This was the only pit covered by stones found in the building. Since the stone paving of the first synagogue was not preserved, it is unknown if the deposit could have been accessed by the users of the building.[654]

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:
The coins from this deposit were never published in full, but a preliminary report can be found in Nili Ahipaz’s MA thesis of 2015.[655] According to her, 504 of the 2027 coins were legible.[656] Of those, 2% were Roman, 92% date to the 4^th century, and 6% could be dated to the 5^th century.[657]
In the fall of 2019, Ahipaz gave me two lists of coins coming from L175, for a total of (only) 301 coins. Each list represented a different basket from in L175: one of them contained coins from Basket 1997 and the other from Basket 2002. This divide was made by Yehoshua Dray, the excavator of the coins, creating two groups: the coins found in Basket 2002 were discovered deeper in the ground than the coins in Basket 1997. However, after excavation it was determined that all these coins probably belonged to the same deposit, and they have been treated as one group in all further publications. In this dissertation project, the 301 identified coins provided by Ahipaz have been included (so 1726 coins have not been identified). However, none of these coins has been analyzed in full; we are not informed, for example, about the size, weight, axis, and obverse and reverse descriptions of most of the coins. The full publication rights still lie with Zvi Ma’oz, Chaim Ben-David, and Nili Ahipaz.
Fig. 5 summarizes the coins from Deir ‘Aziz, Locus 175. The coins range in date between 250-300 CE (Valerian) and 457-474 CE (Leo I).[658] Of the 301 coins, 1 comes from the 3^rd century (250-300 CE (Valerian)), 208 are from the 4^th century (69%), and 92 from the 5^th century (30.5%). No coins of the 6^th century could be identified, making this deposit older than the other coins deposits found at the site.
Most of the coins come from eastern mints (predominantly Antioch), with the exception of one coin dated to 316 CE (Constantine I) from Arles and one coin coming from Rome dated to 314 CE (Constantine I). One coin has been identified as a “Vandalic” imitation coin, dated to 408-498 CE: this coin is not mentioned in the MA thesis. On the other hand, the MA thesis mentions another coin that was not found in the lists (and thus has not been included here): a small issue bearing an image of Anastasius I, dated to 491-518 CE.

Other Images

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Deir 'Aziz, Deposit 1. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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Second Deposit

Date Excavated: 1998-2003

Deposit Location:

In the interstices of the southern wall of the synagogue.

Archaeological Information:

Phase 2 of the synagogue building, Locus 129.

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? Yes

Deposit Type: IIA4

Deposit Description:

14 gold coins were found in a pottery juglet without a neck in the dirt fill in the interstices of the repaired south wall of the synagogue.[659] This is the eastern area where the pavement was missing, in front of the “wall-bemah.” In this gap, broken molded and decorated architectural fragments were also found, as well as fragments of a decorated arch with a Greek inscription. Ma’oz labels this deposit as part of an architectural genizah.[660] The juglet thus was discovered in an unsealed context. Perhaps it had been placed in the foundation for the benches in the first phase, and in the area for a portable bemah in the second phase of the synagogue building.[661]

Container Present? Yes: a pottery juglet without a neck

Description of Coins:
This deposit of 14 gold solidi was published in 2007 by Nili Ahipaz. All the coins were dated to Justinian I (527-565 CE) and were minted in Constantinople.[662] The coins are classified into three chronological types: coins from the beginning of the reign of Justinian I (527-538 CE), coins dated to the middle of Justinian I’s reign (538-545 CE), and coins dated to the latter part of Justinian I’s reign (545-565 CE or 542-565 CE). The coins are well preserved, but a large number (coins 1, 3-4, 6, 8-9, 13-14) appear to have been intentionally bent, possibly to check the quality of the gold. All coins are the same VICTORIA AVCCC-type. Although all the coins come from the same mint, no die links could be discerned, indicating a collection over a longer period. The weight of the coins ranges from 4.26 grams to 4.51 grams, with an average of 4.37 grams.[663] The deposit was stored at the IAA as a group under number 2008-511. The juglet was also kept, and pictures of it can be found in the IAA database under numbers B-125565 and B-125566.

Coins

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Deir 'Aziz, Deposit 2. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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Third Deposit

Date Excavated: 1998-2003

Deposit Location:

In front of the niche in the southern wall.

Archaeological Information:

Phase 2 of the synagogue building, Locus 134

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? No

Deposit Type: IB6

Deposit Description:

234 coins were found in a deposit next to the niche that was probably intended for the Torah ark in the southern wall.[664] The coins were spread out over the surface and were found down to a depth of about 1 meter inside the floor foundation.[665]

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:
The coins from this deposit have not yet been published in full but are being prepared by Nili Ahipaz. A preliminary report of this deposit was given in her 2015 MA thesis in which she analyzed 104 legible coins. According to her, the deposit consists of low-denomination bronze coins, some dated to the fourth century (18%), most to the fifth (53%), and the latest to the mid-sixth century (24%). [666] In the fall of 2019, Ahipaz gave me a partial, preliminary list of analyzed coins coming from Locus 134. In this list, 223 coins were identified, giving us a larger collection of coins than in her MA thesis. Fig. 7 summarizes the 234 coins from Deir ‘Aziz, Locus 134. In this new report, the dates of 92 coins were given. From this, it can be calculated that 14% of the coins are dated to the 4th century, 38% to the 5th century, and 43.5% to the 6th century. The latest coin is dated to “498-700” CE and is identified as a possible lead coin. Two other coins are dated to 527-565 CE (Justinian I). This deposit thus has the same terminus post quem as the gold coin hoard also found at the site. Distinctive here are two coins of Alexander Jannaeus (dated 80-76 BCE) and a Roman provincial coin from the third century CE minted by Alexander Severus in Bosra. 21 coins have been indicated as cast coins, dated generally to 450-550 CE. One coin (Basket 1817/2) was cast in an octagonal shape.

Other Images

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Deir 'Aziz, Deposit 3. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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Fourth Deposit

Date Excavated: 1998-2003

Deposit Location:

Next to the northern pillars and benches, in the western half of the building.

Archaeological Information:

Phase 2 of the synagogue building, Locus 138

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? No

Deposit Type: IB6

Deposit Description:

348 coins were found in a deposit in the western half of the synagogue, next to the northern pillars and benches, about a meter above the pit containing the 2027 coins (deposit 1).[667] The coins were spread out over the surface and this “coin layer” was close to the surface of the floor pavement.[668]

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:

The coins from this deposit have not yet been published in full but are being prepared by Nili Ahipaz. A preliminary report of this deposit was given in her 2015 MA thesis in which she analyzed 50 legible coins. In this thesis, she states that a total of 343 coins was found, but this turned out to be a typographical error: an actual total of 348 coins was found in the deposit. According to her preliminary analysis, the deposit consists of low-denomination bronze coins, with 62% of the coins dated to the 4^th century, 10% to the 5^th century, and 26% dated to the 6^th century.[669] In 2019, Ahipaz gave me a partial, preliminary list of analyzed coins coming from Locus 138. In this list, 348 coins were identified, giving us more information on the coins than in her MA thesis, however only the dates of 51 coins could be read.[670] The earliest coin dates to 54 CE and was minted in Jerusalem in the days of Felix, the procurator under Claudius. The latest coins are two gold tremisses dated to 527-565 CE (Justinian I), forming a chronological bridge between Deposit 2 and Deposit 3 from the site. An interesting find in this deposit is a possible Axumite coin depicting a “Maltese cross” in a circle, dated to 450-550 CE. When breaking down the dates of the deposit, 35% of the coins are from the 4^th century, 35% from the 5^th century, and 27% from the 6^th century. 4 coins were minted in Antioch, 4 in Carthage, 8 in Constantinople, and 1 in Jerusalem.

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Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Deir 'Aziz, Deposit 4. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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References

Bibliography:

– Oliphant L., 1886, “New Discoveries,” in: Palestine Exploration Fund. Quarterly Statement, January 1886, pp. 77-78
– Chiat M., 1982, Handbook of Synagogue Architecture, Chico: Scholars Press, pp. 286-287
– Ilan Z., 1991, Ancient Synagogues in Israel, Tel Aviv: Ministry of Defence, pp. 81-82 (Hebrew)
– Ma’oz Z., 1995, Ancient Synagogues in the Golan, Art and Architecture, Qazrin: Golan Archaeological Museum, pp. 149-152 (Hebrew)
– Urman D., 1995, “Public Structures and Jewish Communities in the Golan Heights,” in: Urman D. & Flesher P. (eds.), Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery, Vol. 2, Leiden: Brill, pp. 541-545
– Ma’oz Z. & Ben-David C., 2003, “Deir ‘Aziz 2000-2001,” in: Hadashot Arkheologiyot, Vol. 115, pp. 10-11
– Ma’oz Z. & Ben-David C., 2006, “New Finds in the Golan: A Synagogue at Deir Aziz,” in: Qadmoniyot, Vol. 39, pp. 25-31 (Hebrew)
– Ahipaz N., 2007, “A Hoard of Byzantine Solidi from the Deir ʿAziz Synagogue,” in: Israel Numismatic Research, Vol. 2, pp. 157-165
– Ben-David C., 2007, “Golan Gem: The Ancient Synagogue of Deir Aziz,” in: Biblical Archaeology Review, Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 44-51
– Ma’oz Z. & Ben-David C., 2008, “Deir ‘Aziz,” in: NEAEHL, Supplemental Volume, pp. 1691-1692
– Ma’oz Z., 2011, Deir Aziz and Kanaf: the Architecture of Two Ancient Synagogues, Qazrin: Archaostyle, pp. 5-54
– Spigel C., 2012, Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities: Methodology, Analysis and Limits, Mohr Siebeck, pp. 185-188
– Ahipaz N., 2013, “Floor Foundation Coin Deposits in Byzantine-Period Synagogues,” in: Hoards and Genizot as Chapters in History, Haifa: Hecht Museum University of Haifa, pp. 63-70
– Hachlili R., 2013, Ancient Synagogues: Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research, Leiden: Brill, pp. 111-112, 186-187, 544-545, 584, 597
– Maoz Z., 2013, “The Genizah in the Deir Aziz Synagogue on the Golan Heights,” in: Hoards and Genizot as Chapters in History, Haifa: Hecht Museum University of Haifa, pp. 70-75
– Ahipaz N., 2015, The Custom of the Ritual Burial of Coins in Synagogues, MA thesis (Hebrew)
– Ahipaz, Nili and Uzi Leibner, 2021,“Floor Deposits in Ancient Synagogues,” in: Zion, Vol. 86, No. 2, pp. 211-230 (Hebrew)
– Zingboym, O and Ben-David C., forthcoming, “Deir ‘Aziz – Ancient Synagogue,” in: Lee I Levine et al. (eds.), Ancient Synagogues Revealed, Vol. 2

Website(s):

– The Bornblum Eretz Israel Synagogues Website:
http://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/deir-aziz/
– Hadashot Arkheologiyot, Vol. 123 (2011):
http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=1830

Footnotes

[641] I am grateful to Zvi Ma’oz, Chaim Ben-David, and Nili Ahipaz for helping me collect more information on this site. All were generous with their time, not only sharing their stories from the excavations with me, but also providing me with additional photos, maps, and even lists of coin analyses.

[642] Ma’oz and Chaim 2008, p. 1691 and Ma’oz 2011, p. 46 based on the coins found in the foundations (see below). However, this date has now been challenged by Oren Zingboym and Chaim Ben-David, based on renewed excavations at the site in 2014-2016 (Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 217: this new interpretation will be published in: Oren Zingboym and Chaim Ben David, “Deir ‘Aziz – Ancient Synagogue”, in: Ancient Synagogues Revealed, Vol. 2, Levine L. et al. (eds.) (in preparation)). The new theory is that the foundation of the basilica should be dated to the fourth century CE (perhaps to the years 358-368 CE, based on a Greek inscription that was found on fragments of a decorated arch that belonged to the Torah shrine and has been interpreted as representing the number of years since the destruction of the Second Temple (Ben-David 2007, p. 49)). This inscription has not been published yet.

[643] Ma’oz 2011, p. 47: based on the 14 gold coins found in the juglet buried in front of the “wall”/bemah (Deposit 2, see below). Ahipaz calls this building Stage 4 in her MA thesis, or the third phase of the building in her 2021 article: possible restorations after the earthquake of 551 CE (Ahipaz 2015, p. 33; Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 218). This date is based on the coin deposits found in the foundations of the floor in the western part of the building (Deposits 3 and 4, see below).

[644] Ma’oz and Ben-David 2008, p. 1691. This building was already discovered by Sir Laurence Oliphant, who visited the site with a Bedouin guide in 1885 (Oliphant 1886, pp. 76-77). It was surveyed by Urman who found the building robbed of stones to serve as construction material for the nearby Arab-Syrian village and again by Ma’oz in 1979 (Ma’oz 2011, p. 5).

[645] Hachlili 2013, p. 113: Hachlili summarize the six different Phases in the synagogue building’s history in total, as well as an earlier synagogue that was built on the same spot in the mid-4^th century: “Phases 1–2 served as a synagogue in the 6th–7th centuries CE; in Phase 3 parts of the building, especially the columns, were destroyed by the earthquake of 749; Phase 4 shows the rebuilding of the structure in the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th centuries CE and it still served then as a synagogue, according to Ben David, while Maʿoz suggests that the structure was turned into a church or monastery in the 8th century CE (Maʿoz and Ben David 2006, p. 27). The last two Phases (5 and 6) continued in use, with various building changes, until the first half of the 20th century.”

[646] Ma’oz 2011, p. 24-25 suggests that the benches were made of spolia and were retrieved from an earlier synagogue in the village or from a synagogue in a nearby village.

[647] Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 218.

[648] Ma’oz 2011, p. 29.

[649] As far as I could tell, no excavation has been conducted underneath the plaster floor of the stone pavers of this apse.

[650] Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 218.

[651] It should be noted that five stone slabs were also removed from the eastern half of the synagogue, but except for one worn and unidentifiable coin, no coins were found in the eastern part of the main hall (Ahipaz 2015, p. 14, p.31; Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 216).

[652] Ahipaz 2013, p. 64.

[653] Or to an additional phase preceding the second phase (Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 218).

[654] During later excavations at the site in (2014-2015, directed by Oren Zingboym as part of the preparation of the site to open it to the public) another 12 coins, similar in shape and size were found in this pit (Ahipaz 2015, p. 16). These coins were not cleaned yet when Nili Ahipaz wrote her MA thesis on the Deir ‘Aziz coins in 2015 and they have, as far as I know, still not been published. I have tried several times to contact Oren Zingboym to get more information on these coins, but never heard back from him.

[655] Ahipaz 2015, pp. 22-25. Ahipaz told me that she is still working on the full publication.

[656] Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 216, however, states that 514 coins are legible.

[657] Ahipaz 2013, p. 64.

[658] Ahipaz 2015 and Ahipaz and Leibner 2021 also mention a coin minted by Agrippa II in Tiberias in 84/85 CE, but this coin could not be found in the lists provided. Ahipaz writes “It is possible that this coin was in circulation for a long time, and integrated in the coin circulation of the 4^th century CE because of its shape and size.” It is unclear what happened to this coin or if it should still be included in this locus.

[659] Ahipaz 2007, pp. 157-158. In 2011, Ma’oz mentions only 11 coins found in this juglet. However, since Ahipaz identified 14 coins in her report and Ma’oz affirms in his 2013 article that there were 14 coins, Ma’oz’s number in his 2011 article should be understood as an error.

[660] Ma’oz and Ben-David 2008, pp. 1692-1693; Ma’oz 2013, pp. 71-72. In this last article, Ma’oz says that the “collection of architectural objects were buried beneath the bimah on which the Torah was read.” He describes this (fixed) bemah as an elongated surface measuring 1.25 X 6.50 meters, demarcated by a row of stones, with just one course of stones on the floor, parallel to the southern wall. Besides the juglet, a decorated piece of an aedicula was discovered with a Greek inscription on it.

[661] Ahipaz 2007, p. 158: Ahipaz believes that the area where the bench was not preserved could have been the foundations for a portable bemah. Placed this way, the bemah would create an architectural symmetry with the Torah niche in the north wall. Whenever the portable bemah would be moved, the juglet underneath would become accessible. If true, then this would be a unique indication of a movable bemah in a synagogue space. We are familiar with portable Torah shrines, or chests (תֵּבָה, tevah), from the early Tannaic writings (m. Meg. 4:3; Levine 2000, pp. 351-356), but we are less informed on movable bemot. Perhaps it was a wooden stage that could be brought in, or moved around, as mentioned in Neh 8:2.

[662] Ahipaz 2007, pp. 158-159. All coins have a CONOB mint-mark. Three coins show graffito marks, but their meaning is unknown. Graffiti on coins found in hoards became more common in the 2^nd half of the 7^th century (Bijovsky 2002, pp. 178-180).

[663] Bijovsky 2002, p. 178: Most scholars agree that the theoretical weight of the Byzantine solidus of 4.55 grams was generally not taken into consideration. 4.37 grams is a measurement that arrived from the Attic drachm, which was also 4.37 grams, and was used as a standard to control the weight of gold coins in circulation.

[664] Ahipaz 2013, p. 64; Ahipaz 2015, p. 17.

[665] Personal communication Zvi Ma’oz. He calls this layer just below the floor pavement a “carpet” of coins.

[666] Ahipaz 2015, p. 23; Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 216.

[667] Ahipaz 2013, p. 64 mentions 345 coins, while her 2015 MA thesis mentions 343 coins. However, the coin list that Ahipaz provided me with during my stay in Israel gave information on 348 coins. After a short conversation with Ahipaz it became clear that the 345 and 343 coins were typographical errors and the real number of coins is 348.

[668] Personal communication Zvi Ma’oz and Chaim Ben-David. Ma’oz calls this layer just below the floor pavement a “carpet” of coins. Ben-David mentioned that although also some stones were removed from the eastern half of the synagogue, no coins were found there! Thus, all the coins found as a carpet under the floor level were limited to the western half of the building.

[669] Ahipaz 2015, p. 22.

[670] In her list, Ahipaz indicates one coin (Basket 1356) as “No currency!” This might indicate that this object is in fact not a coin, and that we only have 347 coins. The article by Ahipaz and Leibner mentions 343 coins of which 52 were identifiable (Ahipaz and Leibner 2021, p. 216). The final publication should give us more insight in this.

Download Spreadsheet: Building

Dates Excavated:

1982

Excavator(s):

Zvi Uri Ma’oz

Archaeological Information: /

Date of Building Construction:

(early) 5th century [626]

Place of Building in Settlement:
The settlement occupies two hills; the synagogue is located on top of the larger, but less settled southern hill, outside the village proper. The synagogue is the southernmost building at the ancient site. [627]

Building Description:
[628]In Phase II of the building’s history, the complex was a basalt synagogue with a basilical layout and two rows of probably four columns each.[629] The main entrance was in the south wall (slightly off center to the east), and a smaller door was located in the north end of the west wall. There might have been two-tiered benches along the northern, eastern, and western walls.[630] The synagogue had a basalt flagstone floor, which is preserved only in the west aisle and along the south wall. Some decorative motifs were carved on stones and doorways. Two inscribed seven-branched menorahs were also discovered, carved into a stone block found outside the synagogue. There may have been a wooden Torah shrine west of the southern door.[631] The layout of the building and the possible Torah shrine suggest an orientation towards Jerusalem in the south wall. Many coins were discovered in the foundation fill beneath missing segments of the flagstone pavement (especially in L 108, 114, 115, and 117, where the excavations penetrated deeply into the fill), but two sealed and thus undisturbed loci filled with coins were also excavated at the site: L 124 and 129.[632]

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First Deposit

Date Excavated: 1982

Deposit Location:

In the middle of the western aisle, hidden under floor flagstones, in a compact brown earth layer

Archaeological Information:

Locus 124 in the Phase II synagogue (Basket 1089)

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? No

Deposit Type: IB6

Deposit Description:

In the middle of the west aisle of the synagogue, four flagstones each measuring 0.35 X 0.90 m were removed for a test probe, for a total area of 0.70 X 1.50 m.[633] Directly below the flagstones was a compact brown earth layer a few centimeters thick, which contained 312 coins.[634] A few of these were stuck by corrosion to the underside of the flagstones. Among the group was a gold issue of the emperor Gratian, dated 367-375 CE. Underlying the earth layer was a fill of rounded stones and compact earth (Locus 129), which contained 24 more coins.

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:
The coins found in Locus 124 were published in 1991 by Ariel.[635] Of the 312 bronze coins that were discovered in this context, he identified 68, meaning that 234 of them were, according to his published analysis, unidentifiable. In his catalogue, the coins range in date between 335-341 CE and 395-408 CE. However, in the IAA database, a total of 206 coins are listed as coming from Locus 124 and have been identified. This leaves us with 105 coins that were not, or could not be identified, and are missing from the database.[636] Another problem is that the dates and descriptions of the coins in the IAA database are dissimilar from the ones published in the 1991 report. Thus, the published catalogue seems to be unreliable. In the database for this project, it has been decided to follow the IAA records and not the 1991 report.[637] The reader must use caution when using the information about this deposit.
Fig. 3 summarizes the coins from Dabiyye, Locus 124.[638] The coins range in date between 337-341 CE and 402-408 CE, or a short span of half a century (Late Roman I). The minting places of most of the coins could not be read but the analyzed coins came from Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Cyzicus and Thessalonica. Most of the coins could not be read in full, but where possible, LRBC parallels have been provided by the IAA.

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Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Dabiyye, Deposit 1. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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Second Deposit

Date Excavated: 1982

Deposit Location:

In the middle of the western aisle, hidden under floor flagstones in a fill layer of rounded stones below Locus 124.

Archaeological Information:

Locus 129 in the Phase II synagogue (Baskets 1097, 1102)

Certain association with the building itself? Yes

Deposit Retrievable? No

Deposit Type: IB6

Deposit Description:

In the middle of the west aisle of the synagogue, four flagstones each measuring 0.35 X 0.90 m were removed for a test probe, for a total area of 0.70 X 1.50 m. [639] Directly below the flagstones was a compact brown earth layer a few centimeters thick. Underlying the earth layer was a fill of rounded stones and compacted earth (Locus 129), which contained 24 coins. Underneath this, a system of walls belonging to Phase III was found.

Container Present? No

Description of Coins:
The coins found in Locus 129 were published in 1991 by Ariel. [640] Of the 24 bronze coins discovered in this context, he identified eight, meaning that 16 were, according to his published analysis, unidentifiable. In his catalogue, two coins could be dated to 367-375 CE, one coin to 375-392 CE, two coins to 383 CE, two coins to 383-395 CE, and one coin to 393-395 CE. However, in the IAA database, a total of 20 coins are listed as coming from Locus 129 and all 20 have been identified. This leaves us with only four coins that were not or could not be identified and are missing from the database. Fig. 4 summarizes the coins from Dabiyye, Locus 129. The coins range in date between 341-346 CE and 324-408 CE, similar to Deposit 1. Only two minting places could be identified in this deposit: Alexandria and Antioch; however, only four coins were in such a condition that a minting place could be read. The identified coins are issues of Constantius II, Valens, Valentinian II, Theodiosius I, and Arcadius. The index cards at the IAA do not provide full descriptions of the obverse and reverse sides of most coins; these were most likely illegible. When possible, however, LRBC parallels have been provided.

Conspectus Table:

Conspectus table Dabiyye, Deposit 2. This table can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon on the bottom right. For more details on the specific coins in each row, please hover over the numbers.

Download Spreadsheet: Deposit

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References

Bibliography:

– Chiat M., 1982, Handbook of Synagogue Architecture, Chico: Scholars Press, pp. 271-272
– Ma’oz Z., 1983, “Dabiyye,” in: Hadashot Arkheologiyot, Vol. 83, p. 2 (Hebrew)
– Ariel D.T., 1991, “Coins from the Synagogue at Dabbiye,” in: ‘Atiqot, Vol. 20, pp. 74-80
– Ilan Z., 1991, Ancient Synagogues in Israel, Tel Aviv: Ministry of Defence, p. 80 (Hebrew)
– Killebrew A., 1991, “Pottery from Dabiyya,” in: ‘Atiqot, Vol. 20, pp. 66-73
– Ma’oz Z., 1991, “Excavations in the Ancient Synagogue at Dabiyye,” in: ‘Atiqot, Vol. 20, pp. 49-65
– Urman D., 1995b, “Public Structures and Jewish Communities in the Golan Heights,” in: Urman D. & Flesher P. (eds.), Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery, Vol. 2, Leiden: Brill, pp. 447-452
– Dauphin C. 1998, La Palestine Byzantine: Peuplement et Population, Oxford, Vol. 3, p. 652
– Urman D., 1995, “Public Structures and Jewish Communities in the Golan Heights,” in: Urman D. & Flesher P. (eds.), Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery, Vol. 2, Leiden: Brill, pp. 447-452
– Milson D., 2007, Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine: in the Shadow of the Church, Leiden/Boston, pp. 341-342
– Spigel C., 2012, Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities: Methodology, Analysis and Limits, Mohr Siebeck, pp. 181-185
– Hachlili R., 2013, Ancient Synagogues: Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research, Leiden: Brill, pp. 111-112, 177, 544, 561
– Ahipaz N., 2015, The Custom of the Ritual Burial of Coins in Synagogues, MA thesis, pp. 43-46 (Hebrew)

Website(s):

– The Bornblum Eretz Israel Synagogues Website:
http://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/dabiyye/
– The Archaeological Survey of Israel:
http://www.antiquities.org.il/survey/new/default_en.aspx?pid=5734

Footnotes

[626] The building originally was dated to the late fifth or early sixth century by Zvi Ma’oz, based on his limited one week-long salvage excavation in August of 1982. However, after Killebrew and Ariel examined the pottery and coins from the excavations more closely, they concluded that “The sherds and coins recovered from the construction fills at Dabiyye would indicate a terminus post quem of the early fifth century CE or later for the construction of the synagogue” (Killebrew 1991, p. 67 and Ariel 1991, p. 78).

[627] Ma’oz 1991, pp. 49-50. The site had already been surveyed by Dan Urman in 1968 and 1972, during which remains of the synagogues still standing up 2-3 courses high were discovered (Urman 1995, p. 447)

[628] All descriptions in this catalogue are mainly based on Spigel 2012a, with additions and remarks from excavation reports published by the excavators of each site.

[629] Ma’oz 1991: in Phase I, the synagogue was in use as a stable, probably beginning in the 6^th century CE until 1967.  Phase III was an orthogonal system of walls with unclear function pre-dating the synagogue building. It must be noted, however, that the building has only been excavated in an “explorative” manner: the entire building has yet to be excavated, and any conclusions on layout and dates must thus be tentative. In fact, it has been suggested that the building was not a synagogue at all and that no conclusions on the function(s) of the building should be made before the structural complex is excavated in its entirety (Urman 1995, p. 452).

[630] Urman doubts this suggestion as he sees no evidence for this in Ma’oz’s reconstructed plans and observations (Urman 1995, p. 450). However, I believe Maoz’s interpretation is correct.

[631] Urman is skeptical about this hypothesized shrine and accuses Ma’oz of inventing an imaginary wooden ark, a modification Ma’oz also made to the synagogue of ‘En Nashut, which he had excavated a couple of years prior.

[632] See Ariel 1991 for a published overview of 705 cleaned coins found at the site. It thus seems that the two deposits described here are not separate clusters but belonged to a “coin layer” that probably was spread out over a much larger surface under the flagstone floor of the synagogue.

[633] Ma’oz 1991, p. 55. The dirt was sifted but no metal detector was used (Ahipaz 2015, p. 46).

[634] Hachlili 2013, p. 544: she mentions 336 bronze coins in total, thus combining L 124 and 129 (see below) as if they are one group.

[635] Ariel 1991, p. 75.

[636] The IAA database also lists three coins as coming from Dabiyye, but without a locus number. It is possible that some of these three coins came from L 124 or 129, however, the order of the index cards in the system makes it more likely that they came from L108.

[637] Decided after personal communication with Donald Ariel: he does not know what went wrong either and does not remember how he came up with the exact analyses of the published coins.

[638] The conspectus tables in this study have been made in black-and-white for easy printing and to accommodate people with color blindness. If you would like to use any of the tables provided here, or would like the tables in color, please feel free to get in touch with me. The tables can also be found on the website, where they can be made larger, and manipulated to either show the Locus or the Emperor, and the End Date or the Full Date of each coin.

[639] Ma’oz 1991, p. 55.

[640] Ariel 1991, p. 75.