:''This article deals with the ancient Maon Synagogue from the Negev, not with the ancient Ma'on Synagogue from the Southern Hebron Hills'' The Maon Synagogue is a 6th-century

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...

and archaeological site located in the

Negev Desert The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...

near Kibbutz Nirim and Kibbutz Nir Oz. It is noted for its "magnificent"

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

floor.
"Mamshit & the Ancient Synagogue of Maon, Jacqueline Schaalje, Jewish Magazine.

Archaeological finds

The original date of the synagogue is uncertain but is before the 6th century. In a sixth-century renovation, the northern wall (closest to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

) was opened and a semi-circular

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

to contain a

Torah Ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron ha- ...

was constructed. The floor level was raised and marble columns and a "breathtakingly beautiful" mosaic floor installed.
"One of the Most Spectacular Mosaic Floors Ever Discovered in Israel was Restored and Renovated and Can Now be Seen by the General Public," (30/3/09), Israel Antiquities Authority. At the bottom of the mosaic floor is an

amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

flanked by a pair of peacocks. A vine flows out of the amphora, forming loops, in each loop is a bird, animal, fruit, or a depiction of steps in the wine making process. The design is so similar to the mosaics in the church floor at nearby Shallal that they are thought to have been designed by the same artist. Both floors depict animals and have similar patterns: the synagogue floor is distinguished by a menorah flanked by two lions and several other Jewish ritual objects. The seven-branched menorah stands on three legs, like the menorah in the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...

. The legs in Maon are shaped like a lion's paws. Alongside the menorah are the symbols of Judah, palm trees and lions.

Etrog Etrog ( he, אֶתְרוֹג, plural: '; Ashkenazi Hebrew: ', plural: ') is the yellow citron or ''Citrus medica'' used by Jews during the week-long holiday of Sukkot as one of the four species. Together with the ''lulav'', ''hadass'', and '' a ...

s, a

shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying ...

and a

lulav ''Lulav'' (; he, לולב) is a closed frond of the date palm tree. It is one of the Four Species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other Species are the ''hadass'' (Myrtus, myrtle), '' aravah'' ( willow), and ''etrog'' (citron). ...

are depicted nearby. The mosaic has an inscription in Aramaic. The upper part of the inscription blesses all members of the community, the lower part honours three donors. An identical floor was found in the ancient synagogue in Gaza. The synagogue is built on the

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...

plan. The mosaic is in the central area, the two side aisles were paved with stone. The ceiling was made of wooden beams and clay. A number of small objects were found by the salvage dig on the floor facing the

. These include coins and bone and metal artifacts that are thought to have been associated with the Torah Ark and its ornamental curtain. There were also fragments of glass and ceramic lamps. Dozens of amulets were also found, some of them were used by women who were asking for good health. Adjacent to the ruins of the synagogue a cistern, water channels and a

mikvah Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

History

The synagogue was built at the site of Hellenistic Menois, a city marked on the Map of Madaba. It is one of three ancient synagogues discovered in the western

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...

. The synagogue and its mosaic floor were discovered during the construction of a road in 1957. The mosaic was damaged, but the undamaged segment was preserved by a salvage excavation. After its discovery, the mosaic was neglected, causing deterioration. Restoration work began in 2006, sponsored by the

Jewish National Fund Jewish National Fund ( he, קֶרֶן קַיֶּימֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael'', previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Syria (later Mandatory Palestine, and subsequ ...

Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, he, רשות העתיקות ; ar, داﺌرة الآثار, before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of ...

and Eshkol Regional Council, and paid for by philanthropist Sandy Galet. The mosaic was lifted off its original foundation and carefully cleaned. A new foundation was installed and the mosaic was securely attached. The mosaic is now protected and was opened to the public in 2009.ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE'S MOSAIC FLOOR RESTORED TO ORIGINAL BEAUTY

1,500-year-old Mosaic Floor Unveiled in Ancient Synagogue Ruins", 03/30/09, Israel National News, Hana Levi Julian.

References

{{reflist 6th-century synagogues Ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel Byzantine synagogues Byzantine mosaics Archaeology of Israel Jewish art Israeli mosaics Establishments in the Byzantine Empire Disestablishments in the Byzantine Empire

Archaeological finds

History

See also

References