Experts repair 1,500-year-old synagogue mosaic in northern Israel
A team from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority completed a one-day stabilization project at Beit Alfa National Park.
By Lina Lewis ·
Conservation specialists finished a major repair of an ancient synagogue floor at Beit Alfa National Park this week.
Roughly 20 experts from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority performed the work. The team operated under the authority’s Archaeology and Heritage Division. They completed complex tasks in a single day that typically take several days.
The specialists cleaned the surface and secured loose stones. They strengthened vulnerable areas and filled gaps using binding materials that match the original composition. The authority documented the floor’s condition before and after the intervention. These records will support ongoing monitoring and future maintenance planning.
The structure dates to the late fifth century CE. It features a courtyard, a corridor, and a central rectangular hall. An upstairs balcony and an additional room are part of the layout. An Aramaic inscription in the floor dates the installation to the reign of Emperor Justinian I. His rule spanned from 527 to 565 CE.
A separate Greek inscription identifies the artists as Marianus and his son Hanina. Their names also appear at the Beit She'an synagogue. This suggests their workshop was based there. The Beit Alfa floor displays three colorful panels. These depict the Ark of the Covenant, the zodiac, and the Binding of Isaac.
The zodiac panel shows 12 Hebrew-labeled signs around Helios, the Greek sun god. He is depicted in a chariot crossing the sky. Four female figures at the corners of the square border represent the seasons. The Binding of Isaac panel shows Abraham holding a knife above his son. A hand appears overhead next to Hebrew text conveying God’s command to stop the sacrifice.
The upper panel places the Ark of the Covenant under a pediment with a shell motif and birds. Seven-branched menorahs flank the Ark. Other items include a shofar, a fire pan, an etrog, a lulav, and two lions. Professor Eleazar Lipa Sukenik of Hebrew University of Jerusalem uncovered the mosaic in 1928. Orit Bortnik, director of the Archaeology and Heritage Division, stated the floor contains more than 800,000 small stones.
