The Monumental Torah Shrine of the Ostia Synagogue: New Evidence from the UT-OSMAP Excavations

Abstract:The ancient Jewish synagogue of Ostia (Italy) was first discovered in 1961 and excavated hastily over the next few years (1961–1964). While the discovery prompted considerable attention, full excavation and reports were not completed. Since 2001, the Ostia Synagogue Masonry, Mapping and Archaeology Project (OSMAP), directed by Professor L. Michael White of the University of Texas under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Soprintendenza of Ostia (now Parco Archeologico di Ostia Antica), has conducted six full seasons of new excavations and ten full seasons of laboratory study and analysis of the material remains, including several thousand “rediscovered” objects from the 1960s excavations. The results are now being published, and the picture that we get of this complex and its community is nothing short of spectacular. This article summarizes two sets of key findings that have emerged from our archival research and new excavations: we begin with a thoroughly revised chronology and phasing of the synagogue complex. The bulk of the article then focuses on our new findings regarding the architectural form and decoration of the Torah shrine in its Final Phase (after ca. 465 CE). Given its late date and monumental scale, the architectural design and ornate decoration of the Torah shrine represents a truly remarkable accomplishment by the Jewish community of Ostia.