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The oldest original synagogue building in the Diaspora: the Delos synagogue reconsidered
Hesperia, Fall, 2004 by Monika Trumper
Several walls cannot be ascribed to any of the described wall systems, nor can their functions be ascertained, namely the "late" walls built at what had been the west ends of the north and south porticoes, and the walls on foundations b and c, whose west ends rested on the euthynteria of the west colonnade (Figs. 2, 3). All four were certainly erected after the installation of the colonnades and could well have been part of one program, the precise nature and date of which is unknown, however. Whereas the walls in the north and south porticoes seem to have blocked traffic to and from the west portico, the function of walls b and c cannot be determined. They might have flanked a kind of ramp that facilitated the transport of heavy items (to feed the lime kiln?), but such a ramp would not have ended opposite the door to room B. Moreover, even the installation of a mere ramp may be considered an unlikely expense in association with a simple lime kiln.
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In conclusion, the last use of GD 80 can be only partly reconstructed. Whereas the kiln was operated in a period when the building was certainly abandoned, walls b and c, and the "late" walls that extended north and south from the west stylobate, could mark a phase when the building was reduced in size--the eastern part no longer being in use--but still quite intact and inhabitable.
CONSTRUCTION HISTORY OF GD 80
The different wall systems and the constructions to which they belong have been defined and described, but they have not yet been assigned to specific phases. This is the objective of the following section, which is not limited to a mere enumeration of the separate measures: the character and purpose of each phase, as well as the possible function of the building, are analyzed and discussed.
FIRST PHASE: MONUMENTAL HALL
The gneiss wall system can be attributed safely to the first phase; it formed the original nucleus of the building to which all further wall systems were added (Fig. 33). This edifice was conceived as a freestanding building and comprised the large undivided hall A/B, with three doorways equipped with marble thresholds, and the large water reservoir, which was accessible from the south. Although the building was without doubt extended to the south, the exact limit and structure of this southern part (the number and character of the rooms) cannot be reconstructed. The reservoir, however, was most probably integrated into the building. With regard to the eastern part, we can only speculate. Given the monumental size of the hall and the fine quality of its construction, one would expect a courtyard, a monumental entrance, an elaborate facade, or some combination of such elements. Several alternatives are possible:
[FIGURE 33 OMITTED]
a. A "public" colonnade, freely accessible from all sides and opening onto public space (Fig. 34:a). Initially, this reminds one of the numerous public rues a colonnes in Delos, but their function as support for a projecting upper floor and their modest character (mostly granite columns, without stylobates) differ considerably from the visible remains of the north-south colonnade of GD 80. (98) An open marble colonnade in front of a building that is raised above the walking level of the corresponding street or space would be unique in Delos but is, nevertheless, conceivable as a slightly simpler version of the following alternative.
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