Synagogue Complete
ID: 108
Building type: basilical synagogue
Context:
urban/rural
Site:
Beth Alpha; Beit Alpha
Description:
The building follows a basilican scheme with three aisles, fronted by a narthex and an atrium. Inside, the main space is articulated by two longitudinal rows of piers. On the Jerusalem-facing southern wall, a broad semicircular recess once accommodated the Torah shrine. Although Sukenik (1932) suggested that the structure had two stories, the evidence more convincingly points to a tall central nave lit by a windowed clerestory that admitted daylight to the interior. The floor of the central nave carried an elaborate mosaic program executed in a markedly stylized manner, often described as “primitive.” The panels are arranged from south to north and present three principal compositions: first, the Torah Shrine (Aron ha-Qodesh), guarded by roaring lions, with a pair of menorot to either side and an array of ritual objects—the lulav, ethrog, shofar, and incense shovel; second, a Zodiac wheel encompassing the twelve signs and the four seasons, all identified by Hebrew inscriptions, with the Greco-Roman sun god Helios depicted in a quadriga; third, the Binding (Sacrifice/Offering) of Isaac, likewise accompanied by Hebrew labels. Plan reference: N. Avigad, “Beit Alpha,” The New Encyclopedia of Archeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Jerusalem, 1993, 191.