Sepphoris

Other Name: Zippori
Religion: Jewish

Archaeological Evidences:

Period: Late Roman and/or Byzantine
Excavation: Excavated
Excavators: Zeev Weiss and Ehud Netzer (1993-1994), Zeev Weiss (1996-1998)
Main Finds: Mosaic with menorah, zodiac, temple ritual and biblical scenes.
Inscriptions: Hebrew (Weiss 2005:199-202, CIIP V/1: 871-884, 890-891), Aramaic (Weiss 2005: 202-208, CIIP V/1: 873-875, 886-892), Greek (Weiss 2005: 209-216, CIIP V/1: 868-876, 880-886)
Mosaics: yes
Site Condition: National park entrance fee.
The Zodaic mosaic, Gilead Peli all rights reserved

Geographic Details

Geographical Region: Lower Galilee
שביל ישראל, ציפורי, ישראל

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Selected Bibliography:

Selected Bibliography
  1. Price, J. J. and Yardeni, A. "Sepphoris (Diocaesarea, mod. Zippori)" in Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. ed. W. Ameling et. al., V/Part 1: Galilaea and Northern Regions, Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, 2023: 866-892.
  2. Weiss, Z. "The Sepphoris Synagogue and Its Mosaic" in Ancient Synagogues Revealed: 1981-2022. ed. L. I. Levine, Z. Weiss, U. Leibner, Jerusalem, Israel Exploration Society, 2023: 94-107.
  3. Maoz, Z.U. "The Synagogue at Sepphoris – a revised chronology" Journal of Jewish Studies 66,2, 2015: 288-294.
  4. Kühnel, B. "The Synagogue Floor Mosaic in Sepphoris: Between Paganism and Christianity" in From Dura to Sepphoris: Studies in Jewish Art and Society in Late Antiquity. ed. L. I. Levine and Z. Weiss, Supplement series No. 40, Portsmouth; Rhode Island, 2000: 31-43.
  5. Miller, S.S. "On the Number of Synagogues in the Cities of Eretz Israel" 49, Journal of Jewish Studies, 1998: 51-66.
  6. Miller, S.S. "'Epigraphical' rabbis, Helios, and Psalm 19: Were the Synagogues of Archaeology and the Synagogues of the Sages One and the Same?" Jewish Quarterly Review 94:1, 2004: 27-76.
  7. Sed Rajna, G. "A Missing Link: Some Thoughts on the Sepphoris Synagogue Mosaic" in From Dura to Sepphoris: From Dura to Sepphoris: Studies in Jewish Art and Society in Late Antiquity. ed. L. I. Levine and Z. Weiss, Supplement series No. 40, Portsmouth; Rhode Island, 2000: 44-51.
  8. Weiss, Z. "The Sepphoris Synagogue Mosaic and the Role of Talmud Literature in Its Iconographical Study" in From Dura to Sepphoris: Studies in Jewish Art and Society in Late Antiquity. ed. L. I. Levine and Z. Weiss, Supplement series No. 40, Portsmouth; Rhode Island, 2000: 19-30.
  9. Weiss, Z. The Sepphoris Synagogue: Deciphering an Ancient Message through Its Archaeological and Socio-Historic Contexts. Jerusalem, 2005.
  10. Weiss, Z. "Sepphoris" The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land Supplementary Volume. Supplementary Volume, 2008: 2033-2034.
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 14 June 2026, https://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/sepphoris/

Photos:

Photos
General view, Gilead Peli all rights reserved © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
General view, Gilead Peli all rights reserved
Western side of the Mosaic, Gilead Peli all rights reserved © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Western side of the Mosaic, Gilead Peli all rights reserved
The Zodaic mosaic, Gilead Peli all rights reserved © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Zodaic mosaic, Gilead Peli all rights reserved
Mosaic fragment, Gilead Peli all rights reserved © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Mosaic fragment, Gilead Peli all rights reserved
Weiss and Netzer 1997: 16. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
General View of the Synagogue | Weiss and Netzer 1997: 16. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: 18. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Aramaic Dedication Inscription from the Synagogue's Floor- | Weiss and Netzer 1997: 18. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 3. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
The Zodiac | Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 3. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 3. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Binding of Isaac- Mosaic Floor. | Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 3. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 4. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Descriptions of the Temple Rituals- Mosaic Floor | Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 4. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 4. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Scorpio- Zodiac | Weiss and Netzer 1997: Plate 4. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: 19. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Sun Figure Instead of Helios | Weiss and Netzer 1997: 19. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: 20. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Sagittarius- Zodiac | Weiss and Netzer 1997: 20. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society
Weiss and Netzer 1997: 21. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Tekufat Tishri | Weiss and Netzer 1997: 21. Courtesy of the Israel Exploration Society

Plans and Drawings:

Plans

Links: