Synagogue of Maon (Nirim)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Detail: flamingo

The Synagogue of Maon (Nirim) or Chirbet el Ma'in is an archaeological site in the Negev , close to Kibbutz Nirim . Coming from Nirim, the excavation, which has meanwhile been provided with a protective structure, is on the right side of the road, just before the junction to Nir Oz . The building is only rudimentary; The place is known for the mosaic floor. (There is a second late antique synagogue at Maon , about 14 km south of Hebron in the West Bank.)

Chirbet el Ma'in is often identified with the place Menois mentioned by Eusebios (Onomasticon 130: 7f), which is also shown on the Madabakarte . Menois had an equestrian fort ( Notitia Dignitatum 34,19,2). However, because of the strategic location on the Limes Palestinae, a different localization of the late antique place is proposed: the Menois fort is said to be identical with Chirbet Ma‛n and the Byzantine place of the same name with ‛Abesān , 3.5 km from Chirbet Ma‛n , where it is There are traces of late antique buildings.

discovery

During the construction of the road to Kibbutz Nir Oz in February 1957, parts of the mosaic came to light; however, the lower area of ​​the mosaic had already been destroyed beforehand. Shalom Levy led the rescue excavations from March to May 1957 and in April 1958 on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. In 1960 he published a concise final report.

View of the apse oriented towards Jerusalem.

building

After the coin finds the synagogue was under n. Chr in the first half of the 6th century. I. Justin or Justinian I built. The brick walls have weathered over time. The excavator interpreted the building as a three-aisled basilica with a floor area of ​​15 × 17 meters with an apse oriented towards Jerusalem (northeast) and a bima in front of it . The floor mosaic would therefore only have been in the central nave.

But it is more likely that the interior was only as large as the mosaic and the found walls delimited a courtyard around the synagogue. Because the parallel walls in the west and east of the mosaic excavated by Ora Yogev in 1980 are almost 20 meters too far apart to be able to support a roof as outer walls.

Floor mosaic

The mosaic floor was originally 7.80 × 3.70 meters. A calyx flower border frames 55 medallions arranged symmetrically to the central axis, framed by vine tendrils, five each in ten rows. 18 of them are lost. The medallions on the central axis show various vessels, some of which are filled with fruit. A colorful group of exotic wild and tame animals (including the birds in cages typical of the Gaza area ) are arranged on a large menorah , behind which the bema and in an apse the Torah shrine were.

Menorah

Menorah

The menorah as an eye-catcher stands on three lion feet and has attached glass lamps. It is flanked by two stylized palm trees and two lions. Other symbols of the Jewish religion are grouped around the menorah: two etrog fruits and two shofar horns.

Donor inscription

Above the menorah there is an Aramaic donor inscription in a tabula ansata , which is difficult to interpret because the mosaicists were not able to use the Hebrew script. According to Yeivin, the text can be reconstructed as follows:

  1. ד [כרין לטב כל] קהלה It is meant for the good of the whole community
  2. ] די [עבדו הדן פספה who made this mosaic
  3. ] וכן [דאוש] ו [ן ותמה יהודה also Daisin, Thoma and Jehuda
  4. דיהבו תג תרי דינרין who donated the sum of 3 denarii.

Small finds

Some small finds were made in the area of ​​the apse: 20 inscribed metal cylinders, some inscribed metal plates, fragments of a bronze chandelier, glass candlesticks and ivory carvings. Since the remains of iron nails were also found, some parts could be connected to the wooden Torah shrine, e.g. B. as remnants of inlay work.

The metal cylinders could not be opened at the time of the excavation without destroying them; they were stored in a magazine. In the 1980s, three of them managed to open. They contained magical formulas in the Aramaic language. The fact that the amulets were deposited in the area of ​​the Torah shrine could have been a short-term measure to magically charge them; however, it is more likely that they will be permanently deposited as consecration gifts after the persons concerned have been healed.

literature

  • Othmar Keel , Max Küchler : Places and landscapes of the Bible. Volume 2: The South , Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1982, ISBN 3-525-50167-6 .
  • Steven H. Werlin: Ancient Synagogues of Southern Palestine, 300-800 CE: Living on the Edge , Brill, Leiden 2015, ISBN 978-90-04-29840-8 .
  • Shalom Levy: The Ancient Synagogue at Ma'on (Nirim) . In: Louis M. Rabinowitz Fund Bulletin III, 1960: 6-13.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Erasmus Gaß: Maon / Mëuniter. In: WiBiLex. Retrieved February 16, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b 1,500-Year-Old Synagogue Mosaic Restored. In: The Jerusalem Post. April 2, 2009, accessed February 16, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Steven H. Werlin: Ancient Synagogues . S. 265 .
  4. ^ Günter Stemberger: Jews and Christians in late ancient Palestine . Berlin 2007, p. 61 .
  5. ↑ Maon Nirim Synagogue. In: The Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art. Retrieved February 16, 2018 (Yeivin, S., Bulletin III, 1960, p. 36; Naveh, J., On Stone and Mosaic, 1978, pp. 92-93).
  6. ↑ Othmar Keel, Max Küchler: Places and Landscapes . S. 126 (German translation after Hüttenmeister).
  7. ↑ Othmar Keel, Max Küchler: Places and Landscapes . S. 123 .
  8. ↑ Steven H. Werlin: Ancient Synagogues . S. 273 .
  9. ↑ Steven H. Werlin: Ancient Synagogues . S. 286 .
  10. ↑ Steven H. Werlin: Ancient Synagogues . S. 290 .

Coordinates: 31 ° 19 ′ 44 ″  N , 34 ° 24 ′ 32 ″  E