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 Hammath Tiberias  30 pictures
 2 minutes HQ video Hammath Tiberias, located on the western shore of Sea of Galilee, was known for its healing hot springs even before the country was conquered by Joshua. The city became the southernmost of the fortified towns of the tribe of Naphtali, and was inhabited during the Roman, Byzantine and Omayyad periods. The Romans built sophisticated spas here that drew holiday-makers from the entire region. When neighboring Tiberias was built by Herod Antipas in the year 20 A.D. Hammath was already well-established as a resort. Spas were built here during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well. In all, there are seventeen hot springs in Hammath. The ruins of Hammath Tiberias were discovered in 1920-21 by members of a Jewish labor battalion paving the Tiberias-Zemach Road. In 1921, Nachum Slouschz excavated the northern section of the site and discovered a small synagogue dating from between the third and the fifth centuries A.D. Forty years later, in the southern part of the site, remains of additional synagogues constructed between the first and eighth centuries and built one on top of the other were discovered. The site was excavated between 1961-1963 by Moshe Dothan under the auspices of the Department of Antiquities and Museums. The mosaic floor at the site belongs to the Severus Synagogue, built in the fourth century A.D.. and destroyed in the fifth. Severus was one pf the founders of the synagogue and had close ties with the presidents of the Sanhedrin in Tiberias. The magnificent mosaic contains three inscriptions in Greek and one in Aramaic, and partly-damaged Hebrew words inlaid on a zodiac. The upper part of the mosaic in the main hall contains a depiction of the Holy Ark with a seven branched candelabrum and other ritual objects on either side. Below, in the zodiac the sun god Helios is shown riding a chariot, evidence of the influence of Hellenism on designer. The courtyard adjacent the synagogue accommodated both a study hall and a guest house. There was also a row of shops along the street. At the southern end of the excavation site, part of the old city wall with its gate and two towers were unearthed. In addition, a street leading from the gate to the town was uncovered. These finds are from the Talmudic period. The Mosaics    The Site     
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