Ancient synagogues in Palestine

Ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel are synagogues and their remains in the Land of Israel/Palestine region (today's Israel, Palestinian, and the Syrian Golan Heights), built by the Jewish and Samaritan communities from the time of the Hasmonean dynasty during the late Hellenistic period to the late Byzantine period.

Numerous inscriptions have been found in the ancient synagogues of the Land of Israel; the vast majority of these, c. 140, are in Palestinian Jewish Aramaic, with another c. 50 in Koine or early Medieval Greek, and a few in Hebrew.

History

Most of the synagogues unearthed in archaeological excavations in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights date from the Roman and Byzantine periods, from the third to seventh centuries. Synagogues from before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE include Gamla, Masada and Herodium. After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the local synagogue became its substitute and from Late Antiquity onward, the number of synagogues discovered rise significantly, with over one hundred being unearthed in Palestine alone. More than fifty of these are situated in Galilee and on the Golan Heights.

A survey conducted in the 1970s found that of the known synagogue inscriptions, 67 were in Greek and found in the coastal and major inland cities. Another 54 were in Aramaic, and 14 in Hebrew. The vast majority of inscriptions are dedicatory, while the remainder feature literary sources or are short labels for images.