A Sustained Presence: Synagogue Buildings in Galilee during the Early Islamic Period and Later

Abstract

The majority of archaeological studies on late antique monumental synagogues focus their discussion on the origin and production of these buildings, their decoration, and their use. How these buildings were used, experienced, and remembered in subsequent periods remains little explored. Following a building-biography approach, this article aims to explore how the building remains of synagogues in Galilee persisted into the early Islamic period and beyond, and what the physical state of these monuments and the small finds found within them tell us about how later communities used, viewed, and remembered these spaces. The article explores the remains of several synagogue sites in eastern Galilee using archaeological data, medieval Muslim and Jewish traveler accounts, and early modern depictions of ruins.