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Archaeological Excavations at Khirbet Wadi Hamam (Veradim) – A Roman Period
Village in the Eastern Lower Galilee, Israel
Khirbet Hamam is located on a steep slope of the Nitai Mountain, above Wadi Arbel, two
kilometers west of the Sea of Galilee. Settled on an area of over 50 dunam, this was
one of the largest villages in the Eastern Galilee during the Roman period. The large
spring beneath the site and the proximity to the ancient route that led from the sea of
Galilee, through Wadi Arbel to central Galilee and from there to the Mediterranean
coast, can explain the development of a big settlement at this location.
Sea of Galilee
Kh. Wadi
Hamam
Tiberias
Location Map
Aerial photo of Khirbet Hamam and surroundings
Mt.
Arbel
Wadi Arbel
Mt. Nitai
Spring
Kh.
Hamam
The selection of Kh. Hamam for excavating was due to the unique advantages it
presented in coping with the methodological problems, concerning the highly debated
issue of the dating of the so called ‘Galilean Synagogues’. These buildings have many
architectural elements that belong to what is known as the “Roman Baroque
Architecture” which was common in the Eastern Mediterranean mainly during the
second, third and early fourth centuries CE.
In the early twentieth century, Heinrich Kohl and Carl Watzinger, pioneers of ancient
synagogue research, have pointed out the similarities between the Galilean synagogues
and temples and monuments in southern Syria with inscriptions that date them to the
second and third centuries. They concluded that the Galilean synagogues were built
during the very same period, in accordance with the architectural style which was
common in the region. This conclusion was the common view among scholars up to
some thirty years ago.
In the early 1970s’ the Franciscan researchers, Vergilio Corbo and Stanislaw Loffreda,
published their preliminary report of the excavations in the synagogue of Kefar Nahum.
Their conclusions, that what is considered as the “flag ship” of the Galilean Synagogues
was built, in fact, only in the fifth century, stimulated a big debate. This debate has
intensified lately, when scholars pointed out other Galilean synagogues which should be
dated, in their eyes, to the Byzantine period and not to the Roman period as had
previously been believed. Actually, today there is not even one Galilean synagogue
which scholars all agree that was built during the Roman period in the second or third
century CE. Many scholars believe that all these synagogues, or at least most of them,
were, in fact, built during the Byzantine period (under Christian regime), mainly in the
fifth and sixth centuries. This issue has far reaching consequences even for basic
concepts of archaeological discipline and historical research.
Galilean synagogues that were excavated previously, such as Gush- Halav, are
located in villages that were settled continuously through the entire Roman and
Byzantine periods. The many layers of settlement and the findings from the various
periods have complicated the archaeological picture and were subject to interpretive
debates. Previous work in Kh. Hamam had shown that this site was abandoned,
probably, in the late fourth century CE. The absence of layers and findings of later
periods, that in other sites complicated the picture and were subject for interpretive
debates, provides us here with a truly “test case”, without factors that may cloud the
picture. The site was never excavated previously, hence enabling us to use advanced
archaeological methods that are used these days, in order to establish the date of the
synagogue.
The excavation at Khirbet Hamam is based on two main principles: The first, a
careful stratigraphic excavation and detailed documentation of all findings from the
synagogue itself and its surroundings. The second principle is investigating the
synagogue in its context, by excavating residential and industrial areas in the village.
These two principles are meant to provide a vertical picture of the building itself, its plan
and history; and a horizontal picture of the synagogue in its context: its place in the
village, in the history of the village and on the background of village life.
The First Season - October 2007: About thirty people took part in the dig, including
students from the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University, high school
students from nearby schools, groups of Jewish youth from abroad, and hired workers.
The following staff members are participating in the project: Michael Osband and
Shulamit Miller (area supervisors), Benni Arubas (Survey, Mappings and ArchitecturalStratigraphic Analysis) and Gabi Laron (photographer).
Two areas were opened during the first season: The synagogue and its
surroundings (Area A) and an olive oil production site and a residential structure (Area
B).
This season we have excavated the northern (back) part of the synagogue (in
estimation, about one quarter of the building) and only in one small area have we
reached the floor. The portion excavated, however, is sufficient to enable us to sketch
an initial plan of the building. This is a north-south lengthwise building, facing south
towards Jerusalem. Two rows of benches lined the interior of the building, along the
west, north and eastern walls. In the hall, three rows of columns supported the
construction holding the roof. Hundreds of tiles found in the debris, attest to a roof made
of tiles. The building is 14.5 meters wide, one of the widest synagogues excavated in
the Galilee to date.
Northern part of the synagogue – facing north
The north-western part of the synagogue is covered with beautiful architectural elements
that had collapsed onto it. In the NW corner, the walls were preserved to a height of
about 2 meters above the floor level. Interestingly, the building stones in the collapse
are mainly from limestone, while the walls that are still standing are built from basalt. It
seems, therefore, that the walls were built of a combination of lime stone and basalt. No
parallel to this phenomenon is known from other synagogues. Likewise, in addition to
the high-quality decorated elements made of limestone, in the collapse we found also
elements made of basalt, decorated in a somewhat sloppy manner.
Collapse in the north-western Part of the synagogue – facing west
In the north-eastern part of the synagogue we uncovered benches along the
northern wall and reached the foundation of a mosaic floor, revealed here only 30-40
centimeters beneath the surface. A segment of the mosaic (some 1X1.5 m.) survived in
the eastern aisle of the building. It is made of tiny stones (3-5 mm. in size) in a variety of
colors. The scene, revealed here, depicts a series of craftsmen, surrounding a huge
building and busy at work. The craftsmen are holding various tools of their trade: one
with a frame saw, another with a carpenter’s hammer, a third with a masonry hammer,
chiseling a building stone, etc. Two porters carrying a building stone together are
climbing up to the building on a ramp.
To date, there are no parallels to this scene, neither in other synagogues, nor in
Roman-Byzantine art in Israel at all. The question of course is: What is the scene
depicting? Since biblical scenes are common in synagogue art it is possible that the
scene depicts one of the biblical stories about construction (Noah’s ark? the tower of
Babel? Solomon’s Temple?).
The mosaic floor has been removed from the excavation site and its now in the
process of being restored in the laboratory of the Israel Museum.
Details from the mosaic
Mr. Musa Mar`i Fares and a water basin (for ablution?) found near the synagogue
Area B – is located to the north of the synagogue and on the same terrace. We began
with the excavation of an olive oil production site. The site uncovered included a
crushing basin, a series of weights belonging to a lever-and-weight press and a base of
a direct-pressure screw press.
Base of a direct-pressure screw press
Surprisingly, it turned out the olive oil plant was built (apparently in the fourth century) on
top of a residential structure that had collapsed. This is a well-built two-story house with
an interior wall that had windows which allowed air and light to enter the inner rooms (an
architectural feature known as ‘Korazin windows’).
Olive oil production site on top of the collapsed residential structure
The next season of excavations is planned for April 27th to May 29th, 2008