The Beth Alpha synagogue mosaic is one of the most striking examples of ancient Jewish art ever uncovered. Excavated in 1929 by E. L. Sukenik on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, this mosaic provoked an immediate sensation among scholars and lay people throughout Jewish Palestine, Europe and America. Located in Israel’s Jezreel Valley, this remarkable mosaic preserves images of the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22), of a zodiac wheel flanked by personifications of the seasons that was labeled in Hebrew, and of a Torah shrine flanked by menorahs and lions.
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-59333-696-7
Publication Status: In Print
Publication Date: Aug 15,2007
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 213
ISBN: 978-1-59333-696-7
The Beth Alpha synagogue mosaic is one of the most striking examples of ancient Jewish art ever uncovered. Excavated in 1929 by E. L. Sukenik on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, this mosaic provoked an immediate sensation among scholars and lay people throughout Jewish Palestine, Europe and America. Located in Israel's Jezreel Valley, this remarkable mosaic preserves images of the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22), of a zodiac wheel flanked by personifications of the seasons that was labeled in Hebrew, and of a Torah shrine flanked by menorahs and lions.
The discovery of the Beth Alpha synagogue mosaic was a milestone in the development of scholarly and popular consciousness of the significance of ancient Jewish art within Jewish and Zionist culture and within the Greco-Roman context. Sukenik's masterful and beautifully produced final report is of abiding scholarly value, and will intrigue all who take an interest in Jewish history, art and culture. The Ancient Synagogue of Beth Alpha was originally published in separate Hebrew and English editions. This Gorgias Press reprint combines both versions into a single volume. It includes an original introduction to Sukenik's scholarship on ancient synagogues by Steven Fine, which is illustrated with historical photographs.
Eleazar Lipa Sukenik (1889-1953) was an Israeli archaeologist who was instrumental in establishing the Department of Archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he taught. He served with the British army in World War I. He is best known for his role in the acquisition of the Dead Sea Scrolls for the newly established nation of Israel, and for his excavations in Jerusalem. Sukenik was the father of archaeologist Yigael Yadin.
Steven Fine is Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University. Professor Fine specializes in the history of Judaism during the Greco-Roman period. He received his doctorate in Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, his Masters in Art History at the University of Southern California and his BA in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Fine previously taught at the University of Cincinnati and is the author/editor of several books.
