| Tzippori Synagogue | |
|---|---|
 The archeological site, in 2011 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism(former) |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Location | |
| Location | Sepphoris,Galilee,Northern Israel |
| Country | Israel |
  Location of the former synagogue innorthwestern Israel | |
| Geographic coordinates | 32°45′08″N35°16′52″E / 32.752222°N 35.281111°E /32.752222; 35.281111 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | c. 5th century |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 20.7 m (68 ft) |
| Width | 8 m (26 ft) |
The Tzippori Synagogue, also known as theSepphoris Synagogue, is a former ancientJewishsynagogue, now anarchaeological site and anational park, that was discovered inSepphoris, a Roman-era Jewish city in theGalilee, innorthwesternIsrael.
Based onnumismatic evidence, the synagogue appears to have been built in the first half of the fifth century. It was located on the northern side of the city, not far from the city center.[1] Measuring 20.7 m (68 ft) long and 8 m (26 ft) wide, it is the narrowest ancient synagogue uncovered in theLand of Israel. Thebimah was located in the western wall, not oriented towards Jerusalem as in other synagogues of that era.[2]
TheMishna describes Sepphoris as having had 18 synagogues at the time of the funeral of RabbiJudah haNasi in the late second centuryCE.[2]
The mosaic floor of the ancient synagogue was discovered in 1993 by a crew building a parking lot at the edge of the national archaeological park of Sepphoris.[3] It is one of a handful of illustrated synagogue mosaics uncovered in Israel. ArchaeologistZeev Weiss, then a graduate student at the Hebrew University, and his teacher, archaeologistEhud Netzer were called to the scene, and Weiss uncovered the floor and its environs.[4]
The mosaic floor is divided into seven parts. Near the entrance is a scene showing the angels visitingSarah. The next section shows the binding ofIsaac. There is a large Zodiac with the names of the months written in Hebrew.Helios sits in the middle, in his sun chariot. Next, there is a row of three panels depicting the offerings in theTemple at Jerusalem, including the"tamid" sacrifice, theshowbread and the basket offirst fruits. Above this is a depiction ofAaron offering sacrifices in theTabernacle. Above that is another row of three panels, aTorah Ark, depicted as a pedimented building, and an incense shovel representing the incense shovels used in the Temple, flanked by two panels each displaying the seven-branchedMenorah from the Temple at Jerusalem surrounded by symbols of the Jewish holidays including theLulav andShofar. The top, or front of the building section of the floor, another row of three panels, shows two lions flanking a wreath, their paws resting on the head of an ox.[5][6][page needed]
The largest panel or central sections of the mosaic is laid out as a large square containing a circle within a circle. This shows the Zodiac with Helios driving his chariot. As with theHammat Tiberias Synagogue and theBeit Alfa Synagogue, the Zodiac panel at Sepphoris featuresSpandrels depicting the four seasons.[5]
An Aramaic mosaic inscription in honor of the donors reads: "May he be remembered for good Yudan son of Isaac the Priest and Paragri his daughter, Amen, Amen."[5]
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Media related toTzippori synagogue at Wikimedia Commons
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