5076 x 3384 px | 43 x 28,7 cm | 16,9 x 11,3 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
2008
Altre informazioni:
The ancient Jewish city of Beit She?arim is well worth a visit. Built on a low hill in the western part of the lower Galilee, Beit She?arim flourished from the second through the fourth centuries C.E. The residents of Beit She?arim dug an ornate necropolis deep into the ground. Courtyards, corridors, and staircases lead to the catacombs with their burial chambers and stone sarcophagi. The chambers and sarcophagi are decorated with bas-reliefs, epitaphs, and frescoes. The mouths of some of the caves were closed with hewn stone doors, shaped to resemble wooden doors. The bas-reliefs and drawings are representative of Roman-period Jewish folk art. The artwork in all the caves contains Jewish elements, such as the seven-branched candelabrum, the Holy Ark, a ram?s horn (shofar), and a palm branch and citron (lulav and etrog). Secular themes, including boats, animals, human figures, and geometrical designs, also appear. Although most of the epitaphs are in Greek, the lingua franca of Eretz Israel at the time, there are some in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Tadmoerite. Not infrequently, the epitaph states the name and occupation of the deceased and on occasion his or her place of origin as well. The settlement of Beit Shearim was known as an important center of Torah study, thanks to Rabbi Judah Hanasi (also known simply as Rabbi), the leading figure in the Jewish world in the third century C.E. Rabbi Judah Hanasi was considered the spiritual authority of the Jewish people during his time. He had strong ties to the Roman authorities, who in turn supported his position in the community. He benefited materially from the Romans, and their gifts to him included property in Beit She?arim. Rabbi Judah Hanasi took up residence in Beit She?arim, making it the seat of the Sanhedrin (assembly of 71 ordained scholars, which served as both as legislature and as supreme court) and moving his own study hall there. He later moved both to Sepphoris (Zippori). When Rabbi Judah Hanasi died circa
