We are in the southern Golan Heights, about 400 meters southeast of Samach brook, the largest of the southern Golan Heights brooks, which flows southwest and empties into the Sea of Galilee. Archaeological surveys conducted in the Golan Heights over decades have identified over two hundred settlement sites from the Mishnah and Talmudic periods, meaning settlements that existed from the time of the destruction of the 2nd Temple in the year 70 CE until the sixth century. Remains of Jewish public buildings were discovered at almost a quarter of the sites, and remains of synagogues were discovered in more than 30 settlements, indicating a well-established Jewish settlement that survived here throughout the generations. The settlement in the Golan Hights is characterized by a dense settlement layout, and this is because the groundwater here, which originates from local rainfall, drains into relatively small aquifers, and the result is that most of the Golan springs have a low flow rate, which directly affects the profile of the settlements, meaning, many small villages, each village with only dozens of families over an average area of about twenty dunams. Notable characteristics of the synagogues in the Golan, are the difference in the directions of the doorways, the rarity of mosaics, and the relative richness of sculpture, including animals. I elaborate on the subject of the difference in the direction of the doorways and the reason for this in the video about the synagogue in Deir Aziz, which you are invited to watch. A topic that always intrigues me when I visit an ancient settlement, is how the residents made a living. There are surprises here and more on that later.
Lawrence Oliphant, British Member of Parliament, Diplomat, Christian Zionist and Author, who also located the synagogues in Deir Aziz and Khirbet Kanaf, toured Umm al-Qantir, today known as Ein Keshatot in 1884, together with Gottlieb Schumacher, who was one of the first Golan researchers to survey the area as part of planning the route of the railway from Haifa to Damascus. Lawrence Oliphant described the structure of the spring area and the ruins of the large building, which he defined as Jewish architecture.
The synagogue dates back to the sixth century, when the Christian Byzantines ruled the land. The synagogue here is one of the most magnificent found in the country. We are outside the building, which is approximately 14 by 19 meters in size. Before the entrance was a vestibule, resting on two columns on each side. According to the remains found, the roof was gabled, covered with clay tiles. During the excavations, four column bases were uncovered here, each different in style. The columns and four capitals also each different in style, were found as well. In the construction of the vestibule, it appears that ancient items were incorporated. One of the column bases, decorated with a relief depicting a lion devouring an animal and a rooster watching them from the side, stands out in particular. The style of the sculpture is unknown and difficult to date. The item was in secondary use, meaning it was taken from another place and hidden by the vestibule’s staircase. Let’s enter the building of the synagogue at the main southern entrance facing Jerusalem.
This is the first and, as far as I know, the only Ark of the Covenant structure that was found as a complete architectural unit in an ancient synagogue. Furthermore, this model, which includes a facade of a building with two columns, one on each side of its opening and an arch above it, is a commemorative decoration for the facade of the 2ndTemple in Jerusalem, as found on coins from the Bar Kokhba Revolt. In the impressive structure made of basalt stone was the Ark of the Covenant which was made of wood and therefore was not preserved. The Ark of the Covenant structure reaches a height of over five meters and is preserved almost in its entirety. The stage is powerful, reached by seven steps, and this number was probably not chosen for nothing. The reliefs are beautiful. Let’s start at the top. In the center of the impressive column headers – the eagles: The eagle is a recurring motif in ancient synagogues. We saw them in Gush Halav and Khirbet Kanaf. In general, the eagle is mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible as a symbol of power and parental care. Its impressive flight inspired striking images, including the description of God’s care for his people as one who carries the Israelites “on the wings of eagles” as written in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 19:4.
We will continue with the Seven-branched menorah, the Temple menorah. Although the Temple was destroyed 400, 500 years before the construction of this synagogue, its memory was deeply engraved in the hearts of the builders. On the side of the Menorah on the left pillar, there is a relief of a fire pan, a vessel used to carry embers or incense. Also, there is a shofar, a lulav and a citron. On the seven branched menorah on the other pillar: a fire pan on one side and a bundle of the four species on the other. On the side of the pillar and along it, a grapevine lattice. At the bottom of the pillar are wheat and barley. Agriculture served as the main basis for the economy of the inhabitants of the Land of Israel and the entire region, and therefore the decorations of items from the seven species. Also, roses, arches and beautiful and delicate geometric decorations along the columns. Above the capitals is a decoration of a pomegranate, and above it a gable decorated with cornices.
Along the hall are two rows of columns, five on each side, creating a central hall and two aisles. This is a basilica-like structure measuring 14 by 19 meters and it is two stories high, topped by a gabled roof covered with clay tiles. The structure has walls, some of which are a meter thick. The outer side of the walls is made of large ashlars, while the inner side is built of smaller stones. The synagogue has another entrance opening in the west, decorated with an arch with a relief of plants and geometric shapes. Along the walls of the synagogue: from the east, west and south, a row of seats was built with the seats in a rounded profile. A pedestal was also built for the row of seats to the east. The floor of the synagogue is made of basalt tiles. See the unique design that marks the geometric center of the building – octagonal-shaped paving tiles, enclosed within a circle.
See a photo that was taken before the synagogue’s restoration. The synagogue appears to have remained from its destruction until its restoration 1500 years later. The entire village, along with the synagogue, was probably destroyed in an earthquake that occurred in the eighth century, likely the one named seventh earthquake in January of the year 749. It was called the seventh because it was during the year of Shmita. The ancient synagogue in Arbel and many other settlements and buildings were also destroyed in the seventh earthquake. The remains of houses from the abandoned Jewish village were also found in the complex.
The original name of the settlement here is unknown. The stone arches in the spring greatly impressed the Bedouin residents of the area, who called the place Umm al-Qantir, in Hebrew ‘Atar Keshatot’ meaning ‘the site of the arches’, which was later changed to ‘Ein Keshatot’, meaning the Spring of Arches.
The synagogue is extraordinary in its beauty. What were the sources of income of the local residents that allowed them to build such a magnificent structure? Two main sources: The first was common, but it is important for me to give an international regional perspective on the reason for the high income it generated, and the second source is rarer and intriguing. Let’s start with the first – the Jewish economy in the land of Israel had extensive economic ties with neighbouring populations. Agriculture in its various domains served during the Byzantine period as the main basis for the economy of all nations of the region. We don’t have time for an in-depth review of the economic reasons regarding what crop to grow at that time, so I’ll get to the bottom line: The olive oil industry was the main one in the southern Golan and here in Ein Keshatot where two oil production facilities were found. I elaborate on the income from olive oil at that time in other videos yet I’ll add that the large income expected from olive oil production is what motivated the residents of the “lower Golan” to cultivate olive groves. You’re probably asking, what about wine production? During the Mishnah and Talmud period, the income generated in the Land of Israel from oil production was more than double of the amount generated from wine production, and there is much evidence for this. With an average annual production of 4-5 tons from one ancient olive oil production facility, it can be concluded that the olive oil produced here at that period was not only intended for local consumption, but also for export, and listen to the following interesting fact: There were dramatic price differences at that time in the price of olive oil between the Land of Israel and Europe. While in the Land of Israel olive oil was a basic and relatively cheap consumer product, in most parts of Byzantine Europe it became an expensive luxury product intended mainly for the rich. The reasons for the price differences, as revealed by the research of Prof. Daniel Sperber and other historians, include reasons such as: in central, western, and northern Europe, the olive tree simply cannot grow due to climatic conditions, yet limited production in Europe was also in areas where olives did grow, such as southern Italy, Greece, or southern Spain. The limited production there also stemmed from political instability, raids, and damage to manpower. This created a constant shortage that pushed prices up. Two oil presses were discovered in Ein Keshatot, so a significant income for the local residents was generated from olive oil.
Let’s move on to the second income source – in the spring of 2004, as part of conservation and development work, the entire spring complex was exposed. See a photo from that time of the sides of the basin of this pool. Note their unnatural erosion, which was created as a result of rubbing to the right or left. I will not go into details, but I will mention in high level what was found here: flowing spring water, plastered pools and basins, a system for draining excess water and water passages between the pools and basins, unnatural weathering of the sides of the basins, remains of calcareous material at the bottom of the pools and an accumulation of chalk and lime stones – all of these indicate that we are facing an impressive industrial facility. The excavators concluded that the site was used as an industrial flax bleaching plant. In order to bleach the flax, the fibres of the flax plant were soaked in brines containing chalk brought from the slopes of the Golan Heights. Was there significant flax growing in the Land of Israel? it is likely not due to the need for extensive water sources, but it is possible that there was limited growth, mainly in the mountainous area, and I expanded on this in the video about the ancient synagogue in Arbel. The largest flax producer in the area in ancient times was Egypt, and it is likely that flax was imported to here for further processing from Egypt or, as I mentioned, brought from local farms. So, the two sources of income: Olive oil production and the flax bleaching plant allowed the local residents to build the magnificent synagogue.
The synagogue was restored by Yehoshua Drey of the ‘Center for the Restoration of Ancient Technology’. The large number of architectural items required the use of innovative technology that was used for the first time to restore an ancient synagogue. After an optical scan, the stones were numbered and a tiny chip was inserted into some of them so that the stone could be easily located. The details of the numbers and chips were entered into a computer program that shows where each stone was originally placed in the structure before its collapse. Using a crane, the stones were removed and each stone was returned to its original place after software matched the stone to its location according to an accurate simulation of the collapsed structure. The restoration project was completed in 2016.
And finally, as usual, a question for you: The synagogue is from the Mishnah and Talmud period. Who signed the Mishnah and where was he buried? The answer will appear at the end of the video.
