From Roman temple to Byzantine church: a preliminary report on Sepphoris in transition

Account of the results obtained after the excavations carried out in Sepphoris. Four seasons of work have proved the existence of a Roman temple, set within a temenos in the heart of the Lower City and constructed sometime in the early 2nd century A.D. Moreover, they have revealed two subsequent phases, one marking the decline of the temple itself in the course of the 4th century A.D., and the other representing a change of use with the construction of a church over the abandoned temple in the late 5th century A.D. or the early 6th. An open courtyard or atrium was constructed west of the church. It was covered with stone slabs and surrounded by porticoes presumably paved with white mosaics, as shown by some preserved fragments. Two rooms south of this open courtyard were paved with polychrome mosaics, following geometric patterns. Three medallions incorporated into the mosaics contain dedicatory inscriptions recording that the renovation was made in the days of Eutropius, bishop of the city.