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The oldest original synagogue building in the Diaspora: the Delos synagogue reconsidered
Hesperia, Fall, 2004 by Monika Trumper
The character and preservation of the stucco on GD 80 are neither described by Bruneau (1970) nor correctly indicated on his plan (pl. B), which shows traces only on the west wall of B, the north walls of D2 and D3, and the east wall of D3. Even without extensive cleaning, however, remains of stucco are also visible on the west wall of A (remnants of two colored finishing coats; see below), the south wall of B (undercoat), the west wall of D1 (undercoat), and the east face of the east wall of D3 (undercoat). The evidence in the southwest corner of room A (Fig. 4) allows us to reconstruct the chronology of the application of the stucco and the construction of the partition wall of A/B. On the west wall of A is a layer of red finishing plaster that continues behind the partition wall, but from the very bottom of the west wall up to only ca. 0.10-0.20 m above the floor; above this no stucco can be seen on the west wall behind the partition wall. Therefore, the stucco could have been partly destroyed deliberately, as was the marble chip floor, when the partition wall was erected. A second layer of a less fine, simple white finishing plaster covers the red finishing plaster, but only in the southwest corner for ca. 0.54 m north from the partition wall, i.e., in the gap between the corner and the first bench (Fig. 4). Under the benches along the west wall of A only the layer of red finishing plaster is visible. The second layer (of white plaster) does not clearly continue behind the partition wall and so could have been added together with this wall as a repair of the older, probably partially damaged plaster. Elsewhere, no repair of the first stucco layer seems to have been deemed necessary after the installation of the partition wall.
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The application of the first layer of finishing plaster and the laying of the marble chip floor were certainly done at approximately the same time and in the following sequence: (1) the undercoats of the stucco, which reach as deep as 0.20 m below the marble chip floor, were applied; (2) the marble chip floor was laid; (3) the finishing plaster layer of the stucco, which overlaps the marble chip floor, was then added. Because only the lowest parts of the stucco are preserved (i.e., those near the level of the floor), the quality of the stucco (relief stucco or stucco with incised lines, partially or fully polychrome) and the style of the wall system (e.g., "Masonry Style" or "First Pompeian Style," which is usual on Delos) cannot be reconstructed with certainty; since an undivided red wall would be without parallel on Delos, however, a wall in "Masonry Style" with a red plinth course seems most likely. Although it cannot be ruled out that a complete renovation of GD 80 left no traces of earlier decorations, it seems more likely that the visible marble chip floor and stucco of A/B were installed at the beginning and were never renewed in later phases.
(24.) Mazur (1935) was the first to challenge the idea that the large hall A/B was roofed; because of its considerable dimensions, and with the example of the Etablissement des Poseidoniastes (GD 57), room E (see Fig. 35, below), to consider, she reconstructed it as a courtyard. Bruneau (1970, p. 481, n. 3) states that "on ne peu decider si, dans le premier etat du monument, la salle etait couverte; mais apres sa division en deux salles A et B, la couverture etait surement possible du point de vue technique et son existence est assuree par les donnees de la fouille." Binder (1999, p. 313) cites Mazur 1935 at length but does not comment on this point; instead, he refers repeatedly to the (covered) hall A/B of the first phase, and elaborates (Binder 1999, pp. 307-308) in detail on its enormous size without discussing the roofing. White (1987) does not mention this problem either.
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