Ancient synagogues in Palestine
Ancient synagogues in Palestine refers to synagogues and their remains in the Palestine region (today's Israel, Palestinian territories, and Golan Heights), built by the Jewish and Samaritan communities from the time of the Hasmonean dynasty during the Late Hellenistic period, to the Late Byzantine period. Numerous inscriptions have been found in the ancient synagogues of the Land of Israel; the vast majority of these, 140, are in Aramaic, with another 50 in Greek and only a few in Hebrew. History. Most of the synagogues unearthed in archaeological excavations in Israel, the State of Palestine (West  Bank and Gaza Strip) and the Golan Heights date from the Roman and Byzantine periods, from the third to seventh centuries. Synagogues from before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE include Gamla, Masada and Herodium. The oldest remains of a Palestinian synagogue date from the 1st century CE. After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the local synagogue became its substitute and from Late Antiquity onward, the number of synagogues discovered rise significantly, with over one hundred being unearthed in Palestine alone. Over fifty of these are situated in Galilee and on the Golan Heights. A  survey conducted in the 1970s found that of the known synagogue inscriptions, 67 were in Greek and found in the coastal and major inland cities. Another 54 were in Aramaic, and 14 in Hebrew. The vast majority of inscriptions are dedicatory, while the remainder feature literary sources or are short labels for images. Decorations used on mosaic floors, capitals and lintels were symbolic of the Temple service and included the "menorah", "lulav" and "etrog". Lions were depicted to represent the power of God. Aside from remains found in-situ, architectural elements of the synagogues are often found to have been  reused in the houses of adjacent villages. Sometimes dressed stones were transferred further afield and lintels from the doorways of ancient Palestinian synagogues are also to be found in contemporary homes in Syria. The earliest synagogue inscription uncovered to date is the Theodotus inscription; it is in Greek and dates to the first century BCE or the first century CE. It was discovered in the City of David, just south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. All of the early synagogues were purpose-built and many synagogues dating to the talmudic era onwards had annexes attached to the main structure , indicating that synagogues additionally functioned as a communal centres. Some modern-day synagogue architects have relied upon synagogue architecture in ancient Palestine in an attempt to create an "identifiably Jewish style" of synagogue design. The Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue in Philadelphia was inspired by the remains of the synagogue at Kfar Bar'am. Second Temple period synagogues. Before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, synagogues served a different purpose than after that event. Several examples of such early synagogues from the time and territory of the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties until 70 CE have been excavated  in pre-1967 Israel, on the West Bank, and one on the Golan Heights. Some are recognised as synagogues by a larger part of the scientific community, while some are very controversial. They all share only a certain number of architectural characteristics with the better-accepted post-destruction synagogues. Here is a list of all the structures from the Land of Israel/Palestine region discovered as of July 2018 and interpreted by some as Second Temple Period synagogues. The list includes following data: Location - Built; in use till - Discovered by - Comments/reservations Widely accepted. Golan Heights. On the Golan Heights: Galilee . In the Galilee: Judaean hills and desert. In the Judaean hills and desert: Shephelah. In the Shephelah (Judaean foothills): Chronological list. The same sites listed in a tentatively chronological order according to the excavators' estimate of the time of construction. Very controversial: