Beth Midrash Complete
ID: 146
Building type: unknown
Context:
urban/rural
Description:
Following the relocation of the main entrance to the northern façade, the original functions of the portico and the southern courtyard were abandoned, and the area was reassigned to another institutional use. It was converted into a beth midrash. Within this complex, a classroom occupied the northeastern corner, while a study hall—measuring approximately 7.5 × 6.5 meters—stood at the western end of the courtyard. The lintel that once spanned the doorway of the study hall bears an inscription quoting a biblical text. The beth midrash was floored with a mosaic, now only partially preserved, which includes animal motifs accompanied by an inscription. On this basis, Meroth apparently functioned as a center for the study and teaching of Torah scholars. Site plan source: Ilan 1993: 1029. © synagogues.kinneret.ac.il Further reading: - Ilan, Z. “Meroth,” in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, 1993: 1028–1031. - Milson, D. W. 2007. Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine. In the Shadow of the Church. Leiden, 434–439. - Hachlili, R. Ancient Synagogues—Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2013: 69–72. https://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/meroth/