Beth Alpha
From ArchaeoWiki
Beth Alpha (alternative: Beit Alpha) is an archaeological site in the western portion of the Beth Shean Valley of Israel, the location of the remains of an ancient synagogue first constructed in the 5th century CE and best known for its well-preserved mosaic floors. The synagogue likely served a Jewish village community during the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods.
The site is situated some x km west of Beth Shean at the foothills of the Gilboa range of mountains and was named after the nearby ruin of Khirbet Beit Ilfa (which may reflect an ancient name). The area of the ancient settlement is now on the lands of the kibbutzim Beth Alpha and Hephzibah.
The site is additionally noteworthy as being the subject of the first indigeneous Jewish archaeological excavation in the modern era.
Discovery and Excavation
The site was first discovered in the late 1920s when members of Kibbutz Hephzibah came upon a mosaic floor while digging a water channel for field irrigation. Archaeological excavations began in 1929 at the site under the auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and under the direction of Eliezer Sukenik, assisted by N. Avigad. This excavation was able successfully to reveal the synagogue and its mosic floors.
Subsequent excavations undertaken by the Israel Department of Antiquities in 1962 were able to reveal the remains of several buildings surrounding the synagogue.
Bibliography
- Sukenik, Eliezer Lipa [1932], The Ancient Synagogue at Beth Alpha: An Account of the Excavations Conducted on Behalf of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Jerusalem: University Press / Oxford University Press, 1932. (Bet-ha-keneset ha-‘atik be-Vet-Alfa)
External links
- Beth Alpha Synagogue - amateur video footage, courtesy of the Small Places blog
