Phanagorian synagogue (preliminary report)

During the 2023 field season in Phanagoria, a building of synagogue destroyed by fire was uncovered. It was located on a lower plateau in the central part of the city. The prayer house size is approximately 21 × 6.5 m. It consisted of two rooms, the eastern chamber being the main one. A special place is supposedly identified here for the ark holding the Torah. Opposite it, there were presumably wooden benches on which members of the community sat during religious events. Inside the synagogue, in a thick layer of fire, various finds were uncovered, most of them made of marble. Fragments of three large menorahs, as well as fragments of inscriptions, should be noted among them. One of the inscriptions dating back to the fifth century AD reads the word “synagogue” in Greek. The fire, which destroyed not only this structure, but the entire city, dates back to the mid-sixth century AD. However, earlier epigraphic documents recording information about the synagogue in Phanagoria date back to the first century AD. Thus, the Phanagorian synagogue existed for at least 500 years and is one of the oldest in the diaspora.