Excavations at Khirbet Wadi Hamam (Lower Galilee): the synagogue and the settlement

This paper presents the excavations carried out between 2007 and 2009 at Khirbet Wadi Hamam, in the eastern Lower Galilee. A synagogue was constructed in the late 3rd or early decades of the 4th century A.D. A lot of architectural elements from this building came from an earlier monumental structure, most likely a synagogue, whose precise location and date can not yet be determined. During the first phase, the floor of the later synagogue was covered by a polychrome mosaic. It was already seriously damaged in antiquity, possibly around the middle of the 4th century A.D., perhaps because of the earthquake of 363 A.D., which devastated a lot of sites in the region. During the second phase, large portions of the North and West aisles of the building were replaced by a simple plaster floor, which was very probably repaired later. Moreover, in the later phase, a bema was added against the South wall of the synagogue, directly on top of the mosaic. The appendix is devoted to the study of the mosaic. Only circa 6% of the pavement has been preserved, consisting of about some 30 fragments located in various areas, including the remains of four Aramaic inscriptions, portions of geometric and floral decorations, and some figural scenes. The authors try to reconstruct the design and layout of the entire mosaic, which was divided into two main parts, one in the nave and the other in the aisles. According to the authors, the mosaic in the aisles was subdivided, presumably, into 12 panels altogether, each of them bearing figural decoration and illustrating what appears to be a Biblical narrative. They focus on the discussion of three figural scenes : builders and craftsmen at work (panel 4) ; a battle (panel 11) ; a maritime scene (panel 12). On the latter there is a dedicatory inscription, partially preserved. The authors consider that the most plausible interpretation for the scene depicted in panel 4 is an illustration of the construction of Salomon’s Temple or of the walls of Jerusalem. According to the authors, the subjects of panels 11 and 12 are a representation of Samson smiting the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, and the depiction of the army of Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea, both with relevance to the theme of salvation.