Synagogue Main Hall

A picture of the Talmudic/Byzantine Synagogue of Hammat Tiberias looking south through the Main Hall. At the far end, where the black basalt construction appears is where there was a platform on which stood a wooden box ("ark") in which the synagogue scrolls were stored.

The main mosaic on the floor is divided into three parts. At the bottom, below the modern wooden railing is a Greek inscription. Above it is a zodiac with the sun god Helios in the center. At the four corners are female figures representing the four seasons of the year. Above that, before the Torah platform is a Torah ark and two menorahs. Detailed pictures of all of these are available.

This synagogue dates to the 4th-5th centuries. This main room is basically square (50 x 42 feet) divided into four by three rows of columns—three in each row.