 Maon synagogue mosaic floor | |
  Shown within Israel | |
| Coordinates | 31°19′44″N34°24′32″E / 31.3289°N 34.4089°E |
|---|---|
The Maon Synagogue is a 6th-century synagogue and archaeological site located in the Negev Desert near Kibbutz Nirim and Kibbutz Nir Oz. It is noted for its "magnificent" mosaic floor. [1]
The precise construction date of the synagogue remains uncertain, though it predates the 6th century. In a sixth-century renovation, the northern wall (closest to Jerusalem) was opened, and a semi-circular apse to contain a Torah Ark was constructed. The floor level was raised and marble columns and a "breathtakingly beautiful" mosaic floor were installed. [2]
At the bottom of the mosaic floor is an amphora flanked by a pair of peacocks. A vine flows out of the amphora, forming loops, adorned with representations of birds, animals, fruits or depictions of various stages in the winemaking process. The design is similar to the mosaics in the church floor at nearby Shallal ruins, so they are thought to have been designed by the same artist. Both floors depict animals and have similar patterns: the synagogue floor is distinguished by a menorah flanked by two lions and several other Jewish ritual objects. The seven-branched menorah stands on three legs, like the menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem. The legs in Maon are shaped like a lion's paws. Alongside the menorah are the symbols of Judah, palm trees and lions. Etrogs, a shofar and a lulav are depicted nearby. The mosaic has an inscription in Aramaic. The upper part of the inscription blesses all members of the community and the lower part honours three donors. [1] [2] [3] An identical floor was found in the ancient synagogue in Gaza. [2]
The synagogue is built on the basilica plan. The mosaic is in the central area, the two side aisles were paved with stone. The ceiling was made of wooden beams and clay. [2]
A number of small objects were found by the rescue excavation on the floor facing the Torah Ark. These include coins and bone and metal artifacts that are thought to have been associated with the Torah Ark and its ornamental curtain. There were also fragments of glass and ceramic lamps. Dozens of amulets were also found, some of them were used by women who were asking for good health. [2]
Adjacent to the ruins of the synagogue a cistern, water channels and a mikvah. [1]
The synagogue was built at the site of Hellenistic Menois, a city marked on the Map of Madaba. It is one of three ancient synagogues discovered in the western Negev. [2]
The synagogue and its mosaic floor were discovered during the construction of a road in 1957. The mosaic was damaged, but the undamaged segment was preserved by a salvage excavation. After its discovery, the mosaic was neglected, causing deterioration. Restoration work began in 2006, sponsored by the Jewish National Fund, Israel Antiquities Authority and Eshkol Regional Council, and paid for by philanthropist Sandy Galet. The mosaic was lifted off its original foundation and carefully cleaned. A new foundation was installed and the mosaic was securely attached. The mosaic is now protected and was opened to the public in 2009. [4] [5]
The menorah is a seven-branched candelabrum that is described in the Hebrew Bible and in later ancient sources as having been used in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It has a place for prayer where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, choir performances, and children's plays. They also have rooms for study, social halls, administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious and Hebrew studies, and many places to sit and congregate. They often display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork alongside items of Jewish historical significance or history about the synagogue itself.
Tel Rehov or Tell es-Sarem, is an archaeological site in the Bet She'an Valley, a segment of the Jordan Valley, Israel, approximately 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of Beit She'an and 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of the Jordan River. It was occupied in the Bronze Age and Iron Age.
The Jericho synagogue dates to the late 6th or early 7th century CE and was discovered in Jericho in 1936. All that remains from the ancient prayer house is its mosaic floor, which contains an Aramaic inscription presenting thanks to the synagogue donors, and a well-preserved central medallion with the inscription "Shalom al Israel", meaning "Peace [up]on Israel". This led to the site also being known as Shalom Al Israel Synagogue.
Naaran was an ancient Jewish village dating to the 5th and 6th century CE, located in the modern-day West Bank. Remains of the village have been excavated north-west of Jericho. Naaran is archeologically notable for a mosaic floor of a synagogue, featuring a large zodiac design, which was discovered at the site.
Susya is a location in the southern Hebron Governorate in the West Bank. It houses an archaeological site with extensive remains from the Second Temple and Byzantine periods, including the ruins of an archeologically notable synagogue, repurposed as a mosque after the Muslim conquest of Palestine in the 7th century. A Palestinian village named Susya was established near the site in the 1830s. The village lands extended over 300 hectares under multiple private Palestinian ownership, and the Palestinians on the site are said to exemplify a southern Hebron cave-dwelling culture present in the area since the early 19th century whose transhumant practices involved seasonal dwellings in the area's caves and ruins of Susya.
Beth Alpha is a sixth-century CE synagogue located at the foot of the northern slopes of the Gilboa mountains near Beit She'an, Israel. It is now part of Bet Alfa Synagogue National Park and managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
Tzippori Synagogue is an ancient synagogue discovered in Sepphoris, a Roman-era Jewish city in the Galilee, now an archaeological site and a national park in Israel.
The Migdal Synagogue or Magdala Synagogue is the name used for the first of two ancient synagogues discovered at the ancient city of Magdala in Israel, close to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Both synagogues were in use in the Second Temple period, which places them among the oldest synagogues found in Israel.
Hammath Tiberias or Hammat Tiberias is an ancient archaeological site and an Israeli national park known as Hamat Tverya National Park, which is located on the adjacent to Tiberias on the road to Zemach that runs along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The Eshtemoa Synagogue, located 15 km south of Hebron in as-Samu, West Bank, refers to the remains of an ancient Jewish synagogue dating from around the 4th–5th century CE.
Ancient synagogues in Palestine refers to synagogues and their remains in the Land of Israel/Palestine region, built by the Jewish and Samaritan communities from the time of the Hasmonean dynasty during the Late Hellenistic period, to the Late Byzantine period.
Huqoq or Hukkok was an ancient Jewish village, located 12.5 km north of Tiberias. The area had been settled since ancient times and is mentioned in the Book of Joshua. The Palestinian village of Yaquq later stood at Huqoq's location, and a fort named Hukok was built near the site on 11 July 1945, later followed by a kibbutz.
The Synagogue of Philippopolis is a former Jewish synagogue, built in ancient Philippopolis. The synagogue run-ins are located on Maria Luiza Blvd, in the city of Plovdiv, in modern-day Bulgaria. Built in the 3rd century AD, the synagogue is the only ancient Jewish temple found in Bulgaria. The foundation of the temple, on part of the mosaic floor, is preserved.
The Birds Mosaic or Armenian Mosaic, as it is popularly known, or the Musrara (Bird) Mosaic in academic parlance, is an almost perfectly preserved, richly decorated sixth-century mosaic floor from an Armenian mortuary chapel discovered some 300 metres northwest of the Damascus Gate in the Musrara neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
Horvat Maʿon (Hebrew) or Tell Maʿin / Khirbet el-Maʿin (Arabic) is an archaeological site located 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Gaza, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of Kibbutz Nirim in the Negev, the arid southern portion of Israel; in the Roman period, the site is thought to have formed the western boundary of the Limes Palaestinae.
Khirbet Samara is an archaeological site located in the West Bank. It lies near the Israeli settlement of Einav, 9 km east of Taibe.
The Synagogue-Church at Gerasa in northwestern Jordan was originally an ancient Byzantine era synagogue that was later converted to a church. It is located within the Decapolis city of Gerasa and is situated on high ground that overlooks the Temple of Artemis at Gerasa. The synagogue is evidence of Jewish settlement in the Transjordan through late antiquity.
Ancient Jewish art, is art created by Jews in both the Land of Israel and in the Diaspora prior to the Middle Ages. It features symbolic or figurative motifs often influenced by biblical themes, religious symbols, and the dominant cultures of the time, including Egyptian, Hellenistic, and Roman art.
The Ein Gedi synagogue is located within the remains of the ancient Jewish settlement of Ein Gedi. The archaeological site is part of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve in the Judean Desert.