Zeev Weiss

DESCRIZIONE The fifth century CE represents a turning point in ancient history. Before 400 the Roman Empire stood largely intact and coherent, a massive and powerful testament to traditions of state power stretching back for the previous 600 years. By 500 the empire had fragmented as state power retreated rapidly and the political and social forces that would usher in the Middle Ages be-came cemented into place. This volume explores this crucial period in the six broad areas of natural science, archaeology and material culture, barbarian and Roman relations, law and power, religious authority, and literary constructions. Assembling the papers of the twelfth biennial Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity Conference, The Fifth Century: Age of Transformation offers a comprehensive overview of recent research on this pivotal century in all of its ramifications. Nella storia dell’antichità il quinto secolo d.C. rappresenta un punto di svolta. Prima dell’anno 400 l’impero romano si ergeva complessivamente integro e unito: una testimonianza massiccia e impressionante delle tradizioni di un potere statuale risalenti a seicento anni prima. Nell’anno 500 l’impero era già diviso in seguito al rapido indebolimento del potere statale e all’azione congiunta di fattori politici e sociali che avrebbero condotto al Medio Evo. Il volume analizza questo periodo cruciale, prendendo in esame sei settori generali: scienze naturali, archeologia e cultura materiale, relazioni romano-barbariche, stato e diritto, potere religioso, produzione letteraria. Riunendo i contributi presentati al XII convegno biennale di “Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity”, The Fifth Century: Age of Transformation offre una vasta panoramica degli studi più recenti su questo secolo decisivo. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Jan Willem Drijvers and Noel Lenski, Introduction NATURAL SCIENCE Kyle Harper, The Climate of the Fifth Century Cam Grey, Climate Change and Agrarian Change between the Fourth and Sixth Centuries: Questions of Scale, Coincidence, and Causality Dominic Solly, A Spanish Bonanza? A Reexamination of Roman Gold Mining Technology ARCHAEOLOGY AND MATERIAL CULTURE Anna Flückiger, Blind Dating: Towards a Chronology of Fifth-Century Material Culture in Augusta Raurica John Hermann and Annewies van den Hoek, The Vandals and the End of Elite North African Ceramics: Relief Decoration on African Red Slip Ware Marco Cavalieri, Gloriana Pace, Sara Lenzi, Aiano-Torraccia di Chiusi (San Gimignano, Siena): A Roman Villa in Central Italy during Late Antiquity Zeev Weiss, Defining Limits in Times of Shifting Borders: Jewish Life in Fifth-Century Palestine Young Richard Kim, The Little Island That Could: Cyprus in the Fifth Century BARBARIAN AND ROMAN IN THE FIFTH-CENTURY WEST Ralph W. Mathisen, The End of the Western Roman Empire in the Fifth Century CE: Barbarian Auxiliaries, Independent Military Contractors, and Civil Wars Merle Eisenberg, A New Name for a New State: The Construction of the Burgundian Regio Veronika Egetenmeyr, «Barbarians» Transformed: The Construction of Identity in the Epistles of Sidonius Apollinaris LAW AND POWER Kevin Feeney, The Emperor is Dead, Long Live the Emperor: Imperial Interregna in the Fifth Century Meaghan McEvoy, Leo II, Zeno and the Transfer of Roman Imperial Rule from a Son to his Father in 474 CE Felix K. Maier, Active Rulership Unrealized: Claudian’s Panegyric on Honorius Marie Roux, Administrative Transitions in Gaul during the Second Half of the Fifth Century. The Example of the Visigothic Kingdom through the Breviary of Alaric RELIGION AND AUTHORITY Maijastina Kahlos, Shifting Sacrifices? Fifth-Century Developments in Ritual Life Aaron P. Johnson, The Fifth-Century Transformation of Apologetics in Cyril and Theodoret E. Tiggy McLaughlin, Ordinary Christians and the Fifth-Century Reform of the Church in Gaul Bronwen Neil, Pope Gelasius’s Theory of Law and its Implementation at the End of the Fifth Century LITERARY CONSTRUCTIONS AND CULTURAL MEMORY Edward Watts, Hypatia in the Letter Collection of Synesius Hajnalka Tamas, From Persecutor to Arbitrator of Orthodoxy: The Changing Face of Sextus Petronius Probus between the Fourth and the Fifth Century Jason Moralee, Commemorating Defeat: Cultural Memory and the Vandal Sack of Rome in 455

The zodiac appears in the mosaic carpets of several ancient synagogues : Helios' chariot drawn by four horses is portrayed in the inner circle of the zodiac; the twelve signs are depicted in the outer circle; and the four seasons are placed in the four corners of the square surrounding the outer circle. Despite stylistic changes over time, the subject and basic composition in Jewish art has not changed. An analysis of the zodiac indicates that it is a double-layered depiction containing two intertwining dimensions. One layer represents daily reality on earth and the blessing found in the divine order of Creation. The other layer symbolizes the power and action of God as the cosmokrator, the sole ruler of the universe and of Creation. Accordingly, the zodiac links the other parts of the mosaic and emphasizes the unified theme that underlies the scenes.

The paper discusses the opposition of the rabbis in late antique Palestine to Roman public spectacles and their intentional incorporation of references to the theater, hippodrome, and amphitheater, and their performances, into their sermons. By speaking about these very same issues in their sermons, the rabbis essentially, and perhaps deliberately, became actors in their own communal theater – the synagogue. Based on a careful reading of the literary sources, it is argued that with the ironic use of the same tools and props employed in the theater the rabbis not only sought to condemn public entertainment, including theatrical performances, but also urged their communities to shun this leisure activity in favor of other “spectacles” more conducive and appropriate to the religious realm.

Stone vessels were used in Judaea and the Galilee from the second half of the 1st century b.c.e. until the 2nd century c.e., when it is widely accepted that they were phased out. This study focuses on the major types of chalkstone vessels uncovered in Roman Sepphoris, identifies the unique forms in the assemblage, and discusses the technological issues pertaining to their production. The findings presented in this study suggest that the stone vessels in the Galilee, unlike those in Judaea, did not disappear immediately but were found in layers associated with the Late Roman period (mid-2nd to 4th centuries), thus indicating their continual use. In tracing the sources of the chalkstone vessels, the geochemical analysis employed in this study shows that large numbers of vessels used by Sepphoreans were evidently produced in local quarries of the Lower Galilee.

The area surrounding ancient Bet Shean (Scythopolis) is described in a halakhic inscription incorporated into the mosaic floor discovered in the narthex of the synagogue at Rehov, lying ca. 5 km south of the city. The inscription enumerates sabbatical year and tithe laws in the cities and enclaves beyond the boundaries of Jewish settlement throughout Palestine, and largely repeats textual variants appearing in the Palestinian (Jerusalem) Talmud. The first part of the inscription is devoted to Bet Shean owing to its author's express concern with this region. It first lists the fruits forbidden in the sabbatical year in the district of Bet Shean and goes on to describe at length the city's boundaries while incorporating many diverse topographical details. The mosaic and its inscription belong to the third phase of the Rehov synagogue, which is dated to the end of the Byzantine period (sixth-seventh centuries CE). It appears, however, that the topographical reality of Bet Shean emerging from this inscription may in all probability be founded on an earlier, perhaps Roman, setting. The scholars who examined the Rehov inscription, as well as the archaeologists who recently unearthed Bet Shean's ruins, have studied the names of the gates mentioned in the inscription in an attempt to place some of them in the city plan. The remains discovered in the excavations of the last few years shed new light on the Rehov inscription, enabling us to identify, albeit with a large measure of caution, 'the Gate of Campon', as well as the structure given this name that marks the city's southern boundary. Naming the gate of a city after a nearby building, a road leading from it, or a settlement that could be reached from that direction was known in antiquity. It is in this spirit that one should understand 'the Gate of Campon', which was probably named as such after a specific building. The city's hippodrome, called Campon in rabbinic literature, was built in Bet Shean next to the street o

Herod the Great was the first king to introduce games and spectacles into the Roman East. His building projects to house these activities were a grandiose expression of the king's desire to maintain a positive rapport with Rome and to integrate Roman cultural patterns into his realm — an ambitious agenda that ultimately revolutionized the leisure habits of the indigenous populations in ancient Palestine. This paper discusses theaters and hippo-stadia — buildings for mass entertainment constructed by Herod the Great in Jerusalem, Samaria, and Caesarea, as well as near his palaces in Jerichoand Herodium. It traces the architectural models that Herod used to shape the buildings in his realm and demonstrates that they, like his other monumental projects, were also characterized by creativity, daring, and innovation, exhibiting local yet eclectic features that combined a variety of Greco-Roman traditions.

Public Spectacles in Roman and Late Antique Palestine" introduces readers to the panoply of public entertainment that flourished in Palestine from the first century BCE to the sixth century CE. Drawing on a trove of original archaeological and textual evidence, Zeev Weiss reconstructs an ancient world where Romans, Jews, and Christians intermixed amid a heady brew of shouts, roars, and applause to watch a variety of typically pagan spectacles.Ancient Roman society reveled in many such spectacles--dramatic performances, chariot races, athletic competitions, and gladiatorial combats--that required elaborate public venues, often maintained at great expense. Wishing to ingratiate himself with Rome, Herod the Great built theaters, amphitheaters, and hippodromes to bring these forms of entertainment to Palestine. Weiss explores how the indigenous Jewish and Christian populations responded, as both spectators and performers, to these cultural imports. Perhaps predictably, the reactions of rabbinic and clerical elites did not differ greatly. But their dire warnings to shun pagan entertainment did little to dampen the popularity of these events.Herod's ambitious building projects left a lasting imprint on the region. His dream of transforming Palestine into a Roman enclave succeeded far beyond his rule, with games and spectacles continuing into the fifth century CE. By then, however, public entertainment in Palestine had become a cultural institution in decline, ultimately disappearing during Justinian's reign in the sixth century.

In the heart of the Lower Galilee lie the remains of Sepphoris, capital of the Galilee during long periods of antiquity. Both literary sources and archaeological finds indicate that the city’s population included pagans, heretics, and Christians living alongside the Jewish population. Many sages lived in the city, which, according to rabbinic literature, boasted numerous synagogues and academies (batei midrash). When Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi (the Patriarch of Judaea) moved to Sepphoris at the beginning of the 3rd century, the Jews gained a significant presence on the city council. With the growth of the Christian community came the construction of churches and the involvement of the episcopus (head of the Christian community) in municipal affairs. Economically, Sepphoris had become a well-established city due to the fertile soil in the nearby valleys and its active trade with the immediate surroundings and distant markets.Hellenistic Sepphoris was built on its hill and slopes. Early in t...

The discovery of low stone tables at Magdala and a few other sites in the Galilee and Golan allows us to examine, for the first time, this liturgical piece of furniture used by several communities in the late Second Temple period and the first centuries of the Common Era. This article defines the purpose of these stone tables based on analysis of the archaeological finds and examination of the literary sources associated with the Torah-reading ceremony conducted in the synagogues of ancient Palestine. The reading of the Torah throughout this long period was conducted standing with the open Torah scroll held in raised hands. Our study demonstrates that this table was not intended to be used for reading the Torah, but rather functioned as a low stand upon which the scroll was placed before the Torah-reading ceremony, during the breaks between the readers, and after completion of the ceremony.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-archaeology

Stone vessels were used in Judaea and the Galilee from the second half of the 1st century B.C.E. until the 2nd century C.E., when it is widely accepted that they were phased out. This study focuses on the major types of chalkstone vessels uncovered in Roman Sepphoris, identifies the unique forms in the assemblage , and discusses the technological issues pertaining to their production. The findings presented in this study suggest that the stone vessels in the Galilee, unlike those in Judaea, did not disappear immediately but were found in layers associated with the Late Roman period (mid-2nd to 4th centuries), thus indicating their continual use. In tracing the sources of the chalkstone vessels, the geochemical analysis employed in this study shows that large numbers of vessels used by Sepphoreans were evidently produced in local quarries of the Lower Galilee.

This article represents a response to the excavation report by Seyer and Lotz. Weiss discusses the location of the Limyra building within the city as well as its building constructions and its raw materials. Weiss compares the Limyra building with diaspora synagogues with regard to its architectural layout and orientation as well as with regard to the functionality of its excavated rooms and its water basin. Weiss discusses also the chancel screens with the menorah depic-tions and the date of structure in Limyra. As in other Diaspora synagogues, the location of the building, its construction on an earlier structure, the use of spolia, a water installation, and an ornate bima with a decorated chancel screen are the major elements supporting an argument for an identification of the Limyra building as a synagogue but only further excavations could warrant a clear identification.

Jewish life in the late Second Temple period is reflected in diverse material finds throughout Palestine and is generally characterized by a strict observance of Jewish precepts. The period following the destruction of the Second Temple, and especially the Bar-Kokhba revolt, was undoubtedly a watershed in the life of the Jewish people, unfolding a new era when borders shifted and were redefined owing to the new order of Roman authority, socioeconomic behavior, and Graeco-Roman culture. This shift is clearly visible in various types of material culture, including the architecture of private dwellings and public edifices, small artifacts for domestic use, art, language, and burial customs. While archaeology sheds light on the daily life and cultural behavior of the Jewish population in Roman and late antique Palestine, the Jewish literary sources, despite their limitations, also provide a glimpse into the realia of antiquity, rendering their interdisciplinary study necessary and promising for a comprehensive understanding of this era. Zeev Weiss

The paper discusses the opposition of the rabbis in late antique Palestine to Roman public spectacles and their intentional incorporation of references to the theater, hippodrome, and amphitheater, and their performances, into their sermons. By speaking about these very same issues in their sermons, the rabbis essentially, and perhaps deliberately, became actors in their own communal theater – the synagogue. Based on a careful reading of the literary sources, it is argued that with the ironic use of the same tools and props employed in the theater the rabbis not only sought to condemn public entertainment, including
theatrical performances, but also urged their communities to shun this leisure activity in favor of other “spectacles” more conducive and appropriate to the religious realm.

Modern-day scholars engage in the complementary study of rabbinic literature and material culture. Whereas the archaeologist occasionally illustrates the discussion of architectural remains, artistic representations, or small finds with the aid of random Talmudic texts, the Talmudist, for his part, attempts to explain words, terms, or ideas found in the literary sources with archaeological artifacts. As a result, this interdisciplinary approach seems artificial, and even detached, since each makes little effort to understand the broader context or contemporary socio-cultural setting of a specific find or tradition.

After addressing some methodological problems relating to each of these disciplines, with regard to both the nature of the subject matter as well the obstacles modern scholarship faces in their integration, this paper will broach the question of how Rabbinic sources are to be used in the analysis of material culture in Roman Palestine. We shall try to evaluate to what extent, if any, the rabbis’ discourses are reliable in reflecting their reality and if they are somehow akin to what is known today from the archaeological finds, or whether they were tailored to fit their academic discussion. To illustrate the main points of our paper and demonstrate the mutually fructifying advantage in the thorough study of both disciplines, the discussion will focus on public spectacles and competitions held in Roman Palestine through the presentation of relevant archaeological finds and literary sources. It will be shown that an extensive analysis of the literary sources can shed light on certain aspects that the archaeological finds cannot, whereas a wider appreciation of the available material culture enables us enhance our understanding of certain issues embedded in Rabbinic literature.

... 390 zeev weiss of the city are known elsewhere in ancient Palestine, but the best paral ... according to Josephus—to help the Sepphoreans who came before him at Ptolemais (Akko) by sending ... 33 For a discussion of the coins minted in Sepphoris, see Meshorer 1979, 159–71, esp ...

The reign of Herod, the Builder-King, is characterized by large-scale construction that radically changed the face of ancient Palestine. He initiated, planned, and built many structures, including those befitting the ceremonious lifestyle of his palaces as well as public edifices for the benefit of the urban inhabitants of his kingdom. Herod’s love of Graeco-Roman culture, together with his desire to incorporate his kingdom into the Roman Empire politically, socially, and culturally, led him to establish games and construct buildings for mass entertainment that would house the various types of competitions, races, performances, and shows for the public. By introducing such buildings and holding competitions within the confines of his kingdom, both in the cities and on the grounds of his palaces, Herod revolutionized the cultural leisure patterns in ancient Palestine for many generations to come.
A variety of competitions and performances were held for the first time in a festival Herod founded in Jerusalem in honor of the emperor Augustus in 28 BCE. Described in detail by Flavius Josephus, they were conducted in the theater and large amphitheater the king built in the city. Except for several stone seats belonging to a Herodian or Hadrianic theater that once stood in Jerusalem, neither a theater nor an amphitheater has yet been discovered in the city. Opinions vary as to where, if at all, they may have stood. The absence of archaeological evidence places doubt on the credibility of the literary testimony, leaving us in the dark as to whether these structures actually existed. The paper focuses on Flavius Josephus’s testimony and attempts to define the shape, nature, and character of the buildings Herod constructed in Jerusalem in light of additional evidence from Herodian Palestine and abroad. Based on an analysis of known Herodian buildings and a comparative reading of Josephus’s War and Antiquities, it  is argued that Herod’s theater and “amphitheater” in Jerusalem, like his other endeavors, were monumentally constructed out of stone, and not of wood, as suggested by some scholars.

In the heart of the Lower Galilee, 5 kilometers west of Nazareth, lie the remains of Sepphoris, longtime capital of the Galilee in antiquity. Hellenistic Sepphoris had a rural appearance. Its newly acquired status as a polis, replete with typical Roman-style civic buildings and institutions, changed the face of this Galilean city after the Great Revolt against Rome and later. Owing to its newfound wealth and prosperous economy, Sepphoris grew significantly, with a population that peaked at 15 to 20 thousand inhabitants. By the end of the first or early second century, the city expanded its boundaries and boasted public buildings and private dwellings that followed Roman guidelines. Sepphoris retained this layout throughout late antiquity, however in the course of the seventh century, when its magnificent buildings were destroyed and abandoned and its population waned, the city dwindled to a small town or large village.

The wealth of evidence emerging from Sepphoris, one of the major Galilean settlements that nurtured the creation of part of the rabbinic literary corpus, illustrates the glorious past of this large and prosperous city that housed a mosaic of cultures. The wide spectrum of its architectural features, artistic expressions, and small finds, combined with the information culled from epigraphic and literary sources, afford abundant insights into the relationship between Jewish society and Graeco-Roman culture and how the local population conducted its affairs in a period of transition and change—from Rome to Byzantium and from paganism to Christianity. Consequently, major concerns raised only a decade or two ago regarding the nature of the Galilean city have now given way to in-depth discussions not only about Sepphoris and its population, but also about urbanism, art, and architecture in ancient Palestine.