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A. Iconoclasm in Synagouges
Several synagogue pavements suffered from iconoclasm
probably in the mid- or late 6th century.
At the Na#aran synagogue all the mosaic images
of humans and animals suffered extensive damage
(Vincent 1961; Benoit 1961; Schick 1995: 203-4;
Fine 2000: 189 with some errors in the described
damage). In the upper panel in the nave, the biblical
scene of Daniel in the Lions’ Den was almost
completely destroyed; only Daniel’s arms and rear
parts of the lions survived (figs. II-4; IV-16). In
the central zodiac panel the signs and the seasons
were carefully and methodically removed
(pls. III.4a; X.1a; fig. X.1). Only the outlines of
most of the signs survived. Three were eradicated
entirely, but all the identifying Hebrew inscriptions
were left untouched. In the third panel, with
a geometric design of circles and hexagonals containing
animals and various items, all the animals
were damaged while the fruits and objects were
unharmed. This mosaic was not repaired.
However, the small panel rendering a pair of
gazelles at the entrance of the Na#aran synagogue
was carefully repaired with cubes of different sizes
copying and replacing the damaged parts of the
two animals (pl. X.1a).
The undamaged Hebrew and Aramaic inscriptions
and the panel of the Torah shrine and
menoroth at Na#aran, as well as the extensive but
precise iconoclastic disfigurement of the mosaic
of the nave, seem to suggest that Jews executed
the iconoclastic damage. The lack of repair to the
nave mosaic implies that the damage was possibly
done at a later phase, when further use of
the mosaic in its damaged form was not possible,
though the excavation yielded insufficient data to
verify this suggestion.
The mosaic at the Susiya synagogue shows
damage and repair all over it (Gutman et al.
1981, fig. on p.123; Yeivin 1989: 95, fig. 1, 16;
Fine 2000: 190). The mosaic panel in front of the
second bema shows the Torah shrine flanked by
a pair of menoroth and a pair of deer (pls. II.2b,
X.2a); only the deer on the right was destroyed,
with just a small part of the animal’s body crudely
repaired with different cubes.
The nave mosaic was divided into three panels:
the large eastern panel, with a geometric design
of squares, lozenges, and octagons originally containing
birds, was damaged and crudely repaired.
In the central panel the zodiac images originally
covered this part of the floor; of these, only a small
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section of two zodiac signs and a wing of a season
survived at the south end (pl. X.2b); the panel was
covered over and replaced by a geometric design
with a large rosette in its centre.
The western panel apparently showed Daniel
in the Lions’ Den originally. Of this, only remains
of a human hand, lions’ bodies and the inscription
לא [ינד] [Dani]el survived (pl. X.2c). The nave
mosaic was framed with a meander pattern alternating
with metopes filled with birds, fruit, and
flora motifs; the birds were damaged and crudely
repaired. Two chancel screens found in the Susiya
synagogue also show obvious signs of iconoclasm.
Both show a tree flanked by animals, whose heads
are damaged (Yeivin 1989: 94, figs. 8, 9). The
Susiya mosaic, in contrast to the Na#aran pavement,
was repaired at the time of, or a little later
than, its iconoclasic destruction. This enabled the
community to continue to use the Susiya synagogue
floor in later periods.
Several architectural fragments at the Meroth
synagogue show iconoclastic damage, such as the
three arch stones on which the human figures
were disfigured (Ilan and Damati 1987: 47,76).
The damage to several parts of the mosaics of
this synagogue is regarded as deliberate by some
scholars. One instance given is found on the
mosaic floor of the figure of David with Goliath
weapons (Ilan 1989: 24-26), has had his eyes taken
out (pl. IV.6), perhaps intentionally (Fine 2000:
189). However, at a later stage (late 5th or early
6th century) the floor of hewn flagstones that had
been laid over the mosaic was lifted to expose the
mosaic. The eyes could have been damaged then,
or at any time much later. Another mosaic pavement
found in a side room (suggested as a beth
midrash) of the Meroth synagogue (stage III, first
half of the 7th century: Ilan 1989: 31-33, figs. 17,
18; Talgam 1987: 153) was mostly destroyed, but
a lamb’s head and a wolf flanking a large vase
accompanied by the Hebrew inscription of Isaiah
65: 25 are still visible (pl. IV.8a). That the lamb’s
head survived might indicate that the iconoclasts
did not do their work thoroughly. Similar damage
was wrought on a stone lintel at this building’s
entrance: the heads and bodies of two eagles
shown there flanking a wreath suffered iconoclastic
injury, but the accompanying Hebrew
inscription was undamaged.
Further destruction involves several defaced
figurative reliefs, screens, and sculpture. This is
observed at Galilean synagogues such as Bar‘am,
Capernaum, and Tiberias (Schick 1995: 202,