.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (November 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 2,004 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:Синагога Газы]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|ru|Синагога Газы)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Ancient synagogue (Gaza)
Synagogue mosaic of King David
Gaza synagogue is located in Gaza Strip
Gaza synagogue
Shown within Gaza Strip
LocationRimal district, Gaza City, State of Palestine
Coordinates31°31′14″N 34°25′57″E / 31.520533°N 34.432547°E / 31.520533; 34.432547
History
Founded508 CE
Site notes
Excavation dates1965

The ancient synagogue of Gaza was built in 508 CE during the Byzantine period and was discovered in 1965. It was located in the ancient port city of Gaza, then known as "Maiumas", currently the Rimal district of Gaza City.[1]

History

Section of the synagogue's mosaic floor

In 1965, Egyptian archaeologists discovered the site and announced they had uncovered a church.[2] Later a mosaic of King David wearing a crown and playing a lyre, labelled in Hebrew, was found. The mosaic was dated to 508-09 CE and measured 3 meters (9.8 ft) high by 1.9 meters (6.2 ft) wide.[3][4] It was originally described as depicting a female saint playing the harp.[5] The Egyptian archaeologists stated that the mosaic was in fact an Orpheus mosaic, Orpheus being a figure from Greek mythology who was commonly associated with Jesus or David and used in Byzantine art.[6] Shortly after the mosaic's discovery, the main figure's face was gouged out. When Israel captured the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War, the mosaic was transferred to the Israel Museum for restoration.[6][7]

The mosaic floor of the synagogue is on show at the Museum of the Good Samaritan, located on the Jerusalem-Jericho Road near the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank.[8]

Description

Mosaic floor

The best known panel of the mosaic floor shows King David, who is named in a Hebrew inscription reading "David" (דויד), while sitting and playing a lyre with a number of wild animals listening tamely in front of him.[9] The iconography is a clear example of David being depicted in the posture of the legendary Greek musician Orpheus.[9]

References

  1. ^ Ancient synagogues. Dan Urman, Paul Virgil McCracken Flesher. pg. 368.
  2. ^ Connie Kestenbaum Green. King David’s Head from Gaza Synagogue Restored Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine, Biblical Archaeology Review Magazine (Mar/Apr 1994).
  3. ^ Ancient synagogues. Dan Urman, Paul Virgil McCracken Flesher. p.73.
  4. ^ Geoffrey W. Bromiley. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J, p. 418.
  5. ^ King David’s Head from Gaza Synagogue Restored
  6. ^ a b Israel Museum[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ The Arab Campaign to Destroy Israel Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, American Jewish Committee
  8. ^ Mosaic museum opens in the West Bank
  9. ^ a b James R. Russell, The Lyre of King David and the Greeks, note 18. Published in Judaica Petropolitana No. 8 (2017), pp. 12-33, ISSN 2307-9053

Further reading

External links

Gaza City
Categories