Byzantine era

1,500-year-old synagogue uncovered in Golan Heights nature reserve

Excavations in the Golan Heights have revealed a 1,500-year-old synagogue built of basalt and hewn stone, offering rare evidence of Jewish continuity in the region.

|ByJOANIE MARGULIES
Avigail Rosenbaum Bracha, field manager of the synagogue area near Mashkof and Tabula Anasta.
The obverse of a gold coin showing the portrait of Emperor Heraclius (610–613 CE).

Gold hoard unearthed in Galilee offers glimpse of Byzantine politics, wealth

Archaeologists found 97 gold coins and jewelry in Susita, revealing life during the Sassanid invasions.

|ByPESACH BENSON/TPS
Kissufim Floor Mosaic from the 6th century CE depicts a camel carrying amphorae resembling Gazan jars found in the Negev Desert.

New research reveals how Byzantine farmers adapted to droughts in the Negev's wine industry

“Our findings show how difficult it was to maintain agriculture in the desert and how vulnerable the system was during periods of prolonged drought," the researchers concluded.

|ByJOANIE MARGULIES
A drone view shows conservation work at a winepress that was discovered, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), at the site of a large monastery from the Byzantine period, near Kiryat Gat, Israel, January 6, 2025.

The nun who lived in chains: First-ever evidence of extreme asceticism found near Jerusalem

Asceticism is the practice of denial of physical or psychological desires in order to attain a spiritual ideal or goal, often self-inflicted.

|ByJOANIE MARGULIES

Woman buried with chains near Jerusalem shows first evidence of female asceticism in Byzantine era

Researchers found the remains of the ascetic individual bound in chains. Small metal plates and a tiny cross were found near the abdomen of the skeleton.

FEBRUARY 16, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Remains of woman buried with chains near Jerusalem are first evidence of women practicing extreme asceticism in Byzantine-era.