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| Conservation of the Ancient Synagogue at Maʽoz Haim |
| Implemented by: |
Ilan Phahima
Landscape Arch. Ido Rosental
Ilan Dalal
Jacques Neguer - Conservation Guidance
Arch. Yaara Shaltiel
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The ancient synagogue in Kibbutz Maʽoz Haim was excavated in 1974-1977 by an expedition led by the late Vassilios Tzaferis, on behalf of the Department of Antiquities and Museums. The excavation uncovered remains of a synagogue that existed there from the end of the third century to the beginning of the seventh century CE (see Fig. 1). The synagogue is attributed to the settlement of "Balah" that was located near the ancient city of Bet She'an. The remains that were discovered included the wall foundations and wall remains, and particularly mosaic and stone pavements from three phases of the synagogue.
In the first phase the building was square and paved with stone and two rows of columns supported its ceiling. In the second phase the building was enlarged to the north by an addition of columns and a round apse was added to its southern side. The old stone pavement was covered and a spectacular mosaic adorned with decorations of a menorah, grape clusters, a bird and geometric patterns was built on top of it. In the third and final phase changes were again made to the structure. A raised bema was constructed opposite the “apse” and the synagogue's floor was covered again and repaved with a new mosaic that was highly inferior and less beautiful than the previous one, and decorated with just geometric patterns.
In the late 1970s conservation and restoration measures were carried out at the site and an iron and asbestos structure was erected above it. The treatment, which was conducted using a large amount of concrete, as was customary at the time, was meant to reconstruct the outline of the building and stabilize the mosaics. In addition to this new peripheral walls were cast for the nave and it was enclosed within a modern pavement. The mosaic floors from the last two phases were transferred to concrete slabs, most of which are set in poured concrete at the site, but some have remained “detached” and were left for display in the building. A large section of the mosaic of the last phase remained in place and was not treated at all.
Although the aforementioned measures did indeed stabilize the remains, they made it extremely difficult to understand the three phases of the synagogue (2, 3). Furthermore, they also caused salts to penetrate into the ground which resulted in long-term damage to the remains.
In early 2013, some forty years after the structure was treated, significant and diverse damage was apparent in the remains. The site, surrounded by cultivated agricultural fields, was covered with layers of dust that obscured it obligating the kibbutz members to wet the mosaics when the public arrived there in order that the visitors could be impressed by their beauty. These repeated cycles of wetting and drying the mosaics, together with the roots of vegetation penetrating beneath the mosaics, caused the tesserae to separate from the foundation in many places.
On the northern side of the synagogue part of the mosaic that was not previously treated was severely damaged following the detachment of the tesserae and the crumbling of the mortar and its foundation. Advanced disintegration of the stone floor from the first phase was evident and it has disappeared completely in some places.
Since early 2014, the Israel Antiquities Authority has again been implementing conservation measures at the site as part of the project to rescue ancient synagogues, within the framework of the Israel National Heritage Milestones Program. The renewed plan for the site is of course intended to re-stabilize the ancient remains but at the same time is also meant to improve our ability to understand the building and make it more accessible to visitors. The brief reports about the excavation and the questions that arose regarding the analysis of the remains at the site led to the establishment of a think tank that included the northern district archaeologist and the archaeological advisor, experts from the Conservation Adminstration, a team of planners and even consultations with the excavator Prof. Vassilios Tzaferis who has recently retired and unfortunately passed away just prior to the publication of this article.
After the main questions that arose during the analysis were answered, several guiding principles were established for the conservation of the building (Fig. 4):
1. Highlight the walls of the synagogue's nave.
2. Emphasize the three phases of the synagogue's stratigraphy.
3. Treat all of the existing mosaics; stabilize the pavement and the walls.
4. Soften the straight lines of the cast concrete and hide them beneath traditional mortar in order to obtain a more faithful look that resembles the original appearance.
5. Adapt the intervention at the site and the restoration so as to conform to conservation ethics and our current knowledge regarding the use of materials.
As part of the project a section of the mosaic that had not previously been treated was removed. It was cleaned and recreated using new techniques and materials and returned to its original place on top of a new foundation. One of the biggest challenges was to determine the original locations of some of the mosaics that were left affixed to concrete slabs and were not previously returned to their places. Completing this complicated 'puzzle' was done by comparing them with old photographs and excavation plans that were previously believed to have been missing.
In order to “soften” the appearance of the mosaics that were fixed in concrete at the time of the first conservation, the edges of the poured concrete were dismantled and a layer of stones simulating the original mosaic foundation was cast in their place. The result rendered a softer appearance to the remains and makes it easier to understand the early stages of construction and the building technique (Figs. 5, 6).
One of the most difficult tasks in the project was manually dismantling the poured concrete from the tops of the reconstructed walls. These were re-sealed using basalt stones and lime-based mortar, which render the walls a more authentic look of a core of a traditional wall. In addition, the modern pavement was removed that had been set at the same elevation as the tops of the walls. This was done by lowering the ground level and allowing the walls to protrude from the surface without making it necessary to reconstruct any additional stone courses (Figs. 5, 7, 8).
In order to complete the interior appearance of the synagogue and make it easier to understand its structure two new-old elements were added to the site. First, the walls of the synagogue's bema belonging to its last phase were restored. The restoration was done according to the archaeologists’ guidelines on top of the mosaic of the early phase and without obscuring the colorful images that adorn it (Fig. 8). The column fragments that the kibbutz members had collected and placed on the column bases were removed, and in their place two new rows of column drums of identical appearance and diameter were reconstructed. These drums represent the original columns that supported the synagogue's ceiling in the past (Fig. 7).
Conservation measures will also continue to be implemented at the site in 2015. However, it is already clearly evident that along with the substantial improvement in the appearance of the site, the ability of the visitor to understand the different phases of the synagogue and the essence of the remains has been greatly improved.
We hope that this intervention will help attract visitors to the site and more importantly, aid in obtaining the funding needed for the replacement of the old asbestos structure with a roof that is more suitable and appropriate for the finds and which will improve the visitor’s experience at the site.
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August 2015
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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