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Terra-cotta roof tiles are some of the most common and volume-intensive finds in the excavation of ancient synagogues, but their significance has received only minor consideration. This article reviews the evidence for terra-cotta roof tiles, which were the preferred roofing used in ancient synagogues in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. A change took place from non-tiled roofs in Early Roman synagogues to the common use of terra-cotta roof tiles in the later synagogues. It will be suggested that this shift in roofing style was not merely a functional one, but part of the broader developments in synagogue-building, from a place of gathering in the Early Roman period, with an unassuming flat roof, to a more ornate and monumental structure (both internally and externally) with a prominent high tiled roof in plain view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study examines the use of X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) as an effective method for defining distinct chemical compositions of local basalt stone from different sources in the Roman period, even when their quarries have not been identified. It also deals with the archaeological question if public and monumental structures from a village and urban site shared the same stone sources and stonemason's workshops. Ninety‐six samples from the Hippos Territorium, mainly from the polis of Hippos and the village of Majduliyya, were analyzed. XRF was found to be an effective method for defining distinct chemical compositions of local basalt materials from different sources. The distinct composition of the basalt stones between the two sites provided valuable insights into socio‐economic relationships, shedding light on the nature of city–village dynamics in the region. Additionally, it aids in discerning whether diverse basalt sources were utilized in both private and public constructions, as well as installations within a single site. Methodological questions and the application of this method in the archaeological research of basalt‐based architecture are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parts of a subterranean hiding complex and a miqveh (ritual bath) were excavated at Ḥorvat Maskana in 2020. The Byzantine pottery from the excavation, along with the dating of the plaster, suggests that the complex was used in the Byzantine period and may originally have been hewn in the Roman period. Additional hiding complexes with not only Roman but also Byzantine pottery exist elsewhere in Galilee. The presence of Byzantine pottery inside some of the hiding complexes points to the possibility that their use should not be limited to the Roman period, and that there may have been limited use in the Byzantine period by the local Jewish Galilean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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