Archaeologists working in Spain say they revealed evidence of what could have been a synagogue that the Jewish community has been unknown so far.
While digging the site, it was previously believed to have been a church dating back to the 13th century, experts found materials and architectural evidence that encouraged them to hypothesis that the building was actually a synagogue, according to a study published earlier this month.
Artifacts such as oil lamp fragments and a piece of Menorahs decorated with roof tiles were found during excavations in Cástula, a former Roman settlement in southern Spain, while no materials containing a clear connection with the Christian faith were found on the site.
On the contrary, archaeologists found evidence of Christian worship in another location of the city, CNN said CNN SEFARAD Primer Luz project archaeologist Bautita Ceprián.
The building has several features inherent in synagogues but not in churches. – F. Arias and B. Ceprián
The building also has a square shape than the Christian church, which is usually rectangular, and archaeologists found what could have been a hole in support of a large menor, as well as the basics of the central raised platform or bima, which are common in synagogues but not in churches, he added.
In addition, a building that was built near the abandoned Roman temple was not found in graves – what Christians would be afraid of his relationship with paganism, he added.
“It is a hidden, discreet and isolated place that the majority of Christians would often not have visited,” Ceprián said.
In conclusion, this evidence shows that the Jewish community in the city existed before, according to the study.
“The interpretation of the building from the church to the synagogue was followed by the process of logical reasoning based on the historical and archaeological data we have,” Ceprián said.
Roof tile fragment decorated with what seems to be Menorah – F. Arias and B. Ceprián
Nevertheless, the lack of written records of the Cástula Jewish community leaves some doubts as the authors of the study recognized.
Speculation of everyday community life would be a “very dangerous exercise,” said Ceprián, but they would have lived with their colleagues in Roman citizens in the city.
It is then believed that the population has disappeared because it is not named the anti -Jewish law adopted by Visigoth King Sisebut, who ruled what Spain is now 612 to 621, while the Jewish community in other nearby cities is particularly named.
When it comes to what would have happened to them, “it’s hard to know,” said Ceprián.
One of the possible explanations is that Christian clergy feared that the locals had converted to Judaism, taking into account the “close and friendly relationship” between two groups of the region at that time.
This concern led to Christian leaders who increasingly influenced the Roman Empire due to fear and resistance of Jewish communities, Ceprián said.
This ended with episodes that began at the end of the 4th century, where Jewish citizens were under pressure to convert to Christianity, with those who refused to “invite” their hometown, he said, adding that this type of incidents could have been convincingly occurred in Cástul, the late 5th century and early 12th century.
Now the team will try to protect the site and the excavations will continue, Ceprián said. They seek to allow the public to visit the future at some point, he added.
“We cannot exclude the possibility of finding clearer evidence that allows us to update the hypothesis of a possible synagogue with the actual synagogue,” he said.
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