Shema

Other Name: Khorvat Shema
Religion: Jewish

Archaeological Evidences:

Period: Late Roman and/or Byzantine
Excavation: Excavated
Excavators: Eric Meyers, Thomas Kraabel and James Strange (1970-1972)
Main Finds: Lintel with Menorah
Site Condition: Within a nature reserve, open to the public
Meyers 1972: 60. Courtesy of the Israel exploration Society

Geographic Details

Geographical Region: Upper Galilee
שביל ישראל, ישראל

Open the map in a new window

Selected Bibliography:

Selected Bibliography
  1. Meyers, E. "Ḥurvat Shema' — The Settlement and the Synagogue" Qadmoniot: A Journal for the Antiquities of Eretz-Israel and Bible Lands 18(2), 1972: 58-61.
  2. Strange, J.F. "Synagogue Typology and Khirbet Shema: A Response to Jodi Magness" in Judaism in Late Antiquity III; Where we Stand: issues and debates in Ancient Judaism. ed. A.J. Avery-Peck and J. Neusner, Vol. 4. The Special Problems of the Synagogue, Leiden, 2001: 71-78.
  3. Meyers, E. M. and Kraabel, A. T Ancient Synagogue Excavations at Khirbet Shem'a; Upper Galiliee; 1970-1972. Durham, 1976.
  4. Magness, J. "Synagogue Typology and Earthquake Chronology at Khirbet Shema; Israel" Journal of Field Archaeology 24;2, 1997: 211-220.
  5. Meyers, E.M. "The Ancient Synagogue and Village at Khirbet Shema‘" in Galilee in the late Second Temple and Mishnaic periods. ed. D.A. Fiensy and J.R, Strange, Volume 2 The Archaeological Record from Cities, Towns, and Villages, Minneapolis, 2015: 414-423.
  6. Meyers, E.M. "The Synagogue at Horvat Shema" in Ancient Synagogues Revealed. ed. L.I. Levine, Jerusalem, 1981: 70-75.
  7. Meyers, E. "Shema" The New Encyclopedia of Archeological Excavations in the Holy Land. 1993: 1359-1361.
  8. Spigel, C.S. Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities. Tubingen, 2012: 101-113.

Photos:

Photos
The Western entrance looking west, Gilead Peli all rights reserved © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Western entrance looking west, Gilead Peli all rights reserved
The bema, looking south, Gilead Peli all rights reserved © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The bema, looking south, Gilead Peli all rights reserved
General view, Gilead Peli all rights reserved © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
General view, Gilead Peli all rights reserved
Meyers 1972: 59. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
General View, Looking East | Meyers 1972: 59. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Meyers 1972: 60. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society. © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Northern Entrance- Lintel with Menorah Leaning on the Doorposts | Meyers 1972: 60. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society.
Meyers 1972: 60. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Lintel with Menorah | Meyers 1972: 60. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Meyers 1972: 60. Courtesy of the Israel exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Reconstructed Synagogue- Looking South-West | Meyers 1972: 60. Courtesy of the Israel exploration Society
Meyers 1972: 61. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Western Entrance | Meyers 1972: 61. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society

Plans and Drawings:

Plans
Plan stone by stone. Meyers et. al. 1990:35. Courtesy of Eric Meyers © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Plan stone by stone. Meyers et. al. 1990:35. Courtesy of Eric Meyers
Isometric reconstruction. Meyers et. al. 1990:50. Courtesy of Eric Meyers © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Isometric reconstruction. Meyers et. al. 1990:50. Courtesy of Eric Meyers
Reconstruction. Meyers et. al. 1990:59. Courtesy of Eric Meyers © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Reconstruction. Meyers et. al. 1990:59. Courtesy of Eric Meyers

Links:

About

Bibliography

Subscribe to our newsletter:

The Bornblum Chair in Land of Israel Studies

Research Center of Ancient Synagogue in the Land of Israel

Department of Land of Israel Studies

Skip to content