Ancient synagogues in Israel

rdf:langString Ancient synagogues in Israel

rdf:langString Ancient synagogues in Israel refers to synagogues in the modern State of Israel, built by the Jewish and Samaritan communities from antiquity to the Early Islamic period. The designation ancient synagogues in Israel requires careful definition. Many very old synagogues have been discovered in archaeological digs. Some synagogues have been destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site, so, while the site or congregation may be ancient, the building may be modern. Archaeologists have uncovered many remains of synagogues from over two thousand years ago, including several that were in use before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Synagogues securely dated to before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem include the two synagogues from Migdal, probably a synagogue at Capernaum,, the synagogues at Modi'in and Modi'in Illit, and the small synagogue at the top of Masada. The Theodotos Synagogue Inscription from Jerusalem is usually considered to have come from a synagogue of the Second Temple period as well, although the associated building has not been discovered. Numerous inscriptions have been found in the ancient synagogues in Israel the vast majority, c.140, of these are in Aramaic, with another c.50 in Greek and only a few in Hebrew.