Eshtamoa

Religion: Jewish

Archaeological Evidences:

Period: Late Roman and/or Byzantine
Excavation: Excavated
Excavators: Adolph Reifenberg and Leon Mayer (1935-1936), Zeev Yevin (1969).
Main Finds: Broadhouse style without columns. Benches, ornamental architecture, inner apse, mosaic and fragments of marble menorah.
Inscriptions: Aramaic (Naveh 1978: 113-114; Werlin 2015: 187-194, CIIP IV/2: 1412-1414)
Mosaics: Yes
Site Condition: Inside modern day Palestinian village ‘as-Samu’.
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 4

Geographic Details

Geographical Region: South Hebron Mountains
Unnamed Road, ישראל

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Selected Bibliography:

Selected Bibliography
  1. Price, J. J. "Eshthemoa (mod. es-Samu῾a)" in Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. ed. W. Ameling et. al., IV/Part 2: Iudaea / Idumaea, Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, 2018: 1412-1414.
  2. Naveh, J. On Stone and Mosaic: the Aramaic and Hebrew Inscriptions from Ancient Synagogues. Tel Aviv, Israel Exploration Society, 1978: 113-114, (Hebrew).
  3. Yeivin, Z. "The Synagogue at Eshtamoa" Qadmoniot: A Journal for the Antiquities of Eretz-Israel and Bible Lands 2, 1972: 43-45, (Hebrew).
  4. Mayer, L.A and Reifenberg, A. "The Synagogue of Eshtamo'a" Bulletin of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society 9, 2-3, 1942: 41-44, (Hebrew).
  5. Mayer, L.A. and Reifenberg, A. "The synagogue of Eshtemo'a - A Preliminary Report" Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society 19, 1939-1940: 314-326.
  6. Spigel, C.S. Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities. Tubingen, 2012: 204-207.
  7. Werlin, S. The Late Ancient Synagogues of Southern Palestine. Leiden, 2015.
  8. Yeivin, Z. "The Synagogue of Eshtemoa" in Ancient Synagogues Revealed. ed. L.I. Levine, Jerusalem, 1981: 120-123.
  9. Yeivin, Z. "The Synagogue at Eshtem'a in Light of the 1969 Excavations" Atiqot 48, 2004: *59-*98, (Hebrew; English abstract: 155-158).
  10. Yevin, Z. "Eshtamoa" The New Encyclopedia of Archeological Excavations in the Holy Land. 1993: 423-426.
Bibliographic citation of this page
Ben David, C. Osband, M. Aviam, M. Site: ‘Synagogues.Kinneret.ac.il’, The Bornblum Eretz Israel Website for the Study of Ancient Synagogues, accessed on 25 June 2026, https://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/eshtamoa/

Photos:

Photos
Aerial view, courtesy of Kfar Etzion field school © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Aerial view, courtesy of Kfar Etzion field school
Benches, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Benches, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi
Eastern facade, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Eastern facade, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi
Lintel, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Lintel, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi
Apse, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Apse, courtesy of Doron Sar-Avi
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 1 Fig. 1 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Western Wall- Internal View | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 1 Fig. 1
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 1 Fig. 2 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Western Wall- External View | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 1 Fig. 2
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 1 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Aramaic Inscription | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 1
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.1 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.1
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.2 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Ornamented Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.2
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.3 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Ornamented Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.3
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.3 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Ornamented Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.3
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.4 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 2 Fig. 2.4
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 1 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Engraved Meorah | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 1
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 2 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Ornamented Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 2
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 3 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Conch Niche | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 3
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 4 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Architectural Item with Menorah and Lulav | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 4
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 5 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Architectural Item with Medallions | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 5
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 6 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 6
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 7 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Engraved Meorah | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 7
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 8 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Ornamented Architectural Item | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 8
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 9 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Conch Ornaments | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 3 Fig. 9
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 4 Fig. 1 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Apse | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 4 Fig. 1
Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 4 Fig. 1 © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Hebrew Coin | Mayer and Reifenberg 1942: Plate 4 Fig. 1
Yeivin 1972: 44. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society. © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Synagogue Facade and Narthex | Yeivin 1972: 44. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society.
Yeivin 1972: 44. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society. © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Bema | Yeivin 1972: 44. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society.
Yeivin 1972: 44. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society. © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Benches along the Northern Wall | Yeivin 1972: 44. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society.
Yeivin 1972: 45. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society. © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Lintel with Menorah Engraving | Yeivin 1972: 45. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society.

Plans and Drawings:

Plans

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