The epicenter of Jewish life in the Land of Israel during the second century B.C.E. was Zippori (Sepphoris). It was here that Rabbi Judah Hanasi completed the compilation of the Mishna; the city also housed the supreme Jewish legal and religious institution - the Sanhedrin. In the very heart of Zippori, however, stood a magnificent Roman temple, whose ruins were unearthed some weeks ago by the Noam Shudofsky Zippori Expedition, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology.
The temple stood in the heart of the lower city's public area, whose center was south of the decumanus, a colonnaded street that traversed the city from east to west, and was the main thoroughfare during the Roman and Byzantine periods. The archaeologists uncovered two supporting columns, each 1.5 meters in diameter, and the foundations of a staircase leading up to the podium, the temple's main section. Measuring approximately 12 by 24 meters, the temple had an embellished facade facing the decumanus, but the walls and adornments were plundered in ancient times. A few remainders from the columns and other architectural elements were reused in the foundations of a church subsequently built on the temple's ruins.
Prof. Zeev Weiss, of the Hebrew University, who headed the expedition, explains that this building is typical of the Roman period. The base of the podium's massive walls was more than 2.5 meters thick. The temple stood inside a large, 50-by-55 meter sanctuary compound surrounded by 2-meter-thick walls. The plaza inside the sanctuary area was paved with large rectangular stone slabs, some of which are very well preserved and were uncovered by the group.
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Weiss says that evidence of a Roman temple was first discovered three years ago, beneath the Byzantine church that was probably built in the late 5th century. A clear picture of the temple's layout and architecture, however, was not available until this summer's excavation, when the columns and staircase were found.
Opposite the temple, on the other side of the colonnaded street, the expedition unearthed part of another huge building, whose function remains unclear, but whose form and dimensions attest to its importance. A courtyard in the center of the structure was paved with stone slabs and sections of columns are in evidence, which apparently toppled during an earthquake. Beyond the row of columns are the remains of a few rooms, two of which have mosaic floors with colorful geometric patterns.
Multicultural city
The remains of the temple indicate that Zippori, the capital of the Jewish Galilee until the third century, also had a sizable pagan population, with sufficient financial resources and influence to build a large, impressive structure in the heart of the urban center. The building's remains indicate that Jews, pagans and later also Christians maintained their cultures side by side in the city's public space.
The discovery of the temple also corroborates Talmudic sources that mention the relations between Jews and Christians. "In previous [excavation] seasons," says Weiss, "we found objects attesting to pagan rituals, such as a bronze statuette of Pan, but this temple shows Zippori in a different light, as a multicultural, mixed city."
Zippori became the capital of the Galilee in King Herod's time, from the first century B.C.E. to the first century C.E. After Herod's death, local residents tried to rebel against the Roman rulers, but their revolt failed, the city was razed and its population sold into slavery.
The city was rebuilt soon afterward, and its residents were among the wealthy and respected classes of Jewish society. When the Great Revolt erupted in 66 C.E., they refrained from joining the rebels and even opened the city to the Romans. Thanks to that decision, explains Weiss, the city was saved and expanded in Roman style after the revolt's suppression.
During last year's excavation season at the Zippori site, which is a national park, a section of a stone altar was found on the other side of the street, opposite the temple's facade. Weiss says this altar may have stood opposite the temple's entrance, and was used for offerings. Since the decorations on the facade were destroyed, however, there are no clues as to which god was worshiped here.
A few coins minted in Zippori were also discovered during the excavations. They date from the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161 C.E.), and depict a temple to the Roman gods Zeus and Tyche.
"We used to think that coins were minted using a prepared mold," says Weiss, "and it was unclear to what extent they represented the reality of the period during which they were minted. Still, the Roman name for Zippori was Diocaesarea - city of Zeus - but we have not yet found any clear proof, [such as] an inscription or a figurine, indicating who was worshiped in this temple."
That inscription or idol could well be found among the ruins of the church built on the foundations of the Roman temple, in the sacred area. As in other places, such as Caesarea, the Christians favored building their houses of worship on the ruins of pagan temples, for two main reasons: The new building covered the temple to the pagan god, and the latter also provided high-quality construction materials.
Weiss figures that the Roman temple fell into disuse in the third or early-fourth century. Its facade and entrance were blocked by a row of shops, which separated it from the decumanus, and the building stood unused until the end of the fifth century, when the church was built on top of it.
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