Content provided in partnership with
The oldest original synagogue building in the Diaspora: the Delos synagogue reconsidered
Hesperia, Fall, 2004 by Monika Trumper
(138.) This area might have served as a light source for the surrounding rooms of the D-complex, at least from the second phase onward; or as a courtyard, especially in the first three phases--when the building might not have included a courtyard in the east--but even in the fourth and fifth phases, because the possible three-winged portico presumably did not frame a simple courtyard that functioned as a service area.
(139.) See above, nn. 103, 105; Bruneau 1970, pp. 488-489. According to Bruneau (1982, p. 490), the fact that the east wall of A/B, and again the later partitioned hall of A and B, were both equipped with three doorways testifies to the special meaning of this arrangement. But in both phases the three entrances simply might have been installed for access and lighting.
- Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »
(140.) Binder 1999, p. 316; see also Bruneau 1970, p. 490; 1982, p. 490.
(141.) Cf. the Maison de Fourni (GD 124) facing west, toward the sea, and see above, n. 108; Binder's statement (1999, p. 316) cannot be confirmed: "However, since the facades of many temples on the island (as well as the House of the Poseidoniastes) face east, the design may reflect adherence to local cultic practices." The majority of Delian temples face west and south, few face east, and even fewer north. For those facing west, see GD 6, 11, 12, 13, 81, 91, 98, 100, 103, 104, 106?, 126; south, GD 53, 68, 74, 88, 96, 100, 101, 105, 123; east, GD 46, 51, 57, 72, 93, 125; north, GD 100, 116. For most of the examples facing east, the size and shape of the available plot of land, rather than local cultic practices, might have been responsible for the orientation.
(142.) Binder 1999, pp. 314-317, following Mazur 1935; Runesson 2001a, pp. 186-187, following Binder 1999. Binder (1999, p. 474) strains this comparison severely by stating that "if there is anything historical about there being a link between the Samaritans and the Sidonians, as Josephus also asserts, then this may help to explain why the synagogue so closely resembles the House of the Poseidoniasts, a cultic house erected by merchants from the region of Sidon."
(143.) To date, a comprehensive study dedicated to all associations in Delos is lacking; see Roussel 1916, p. 12, n. 5, pp. 73-74; Laidlaw 1933, pp. 201-231; Bruneau 1970, pp. 465, 472, 585-589, 621-633; and McLean 1996, p. 189, where it is stated without precise reference that "the epigraphical evidence on Delos documents over twenty-four voluntary associations." For a recent study of the collegia of the Italikoi, see Hasenohr 2001. For the inscriptions see ID 1519-1523, 1528, 1529, 1543, 1711-1714, 1730-1800, 2222-2225, 2227, 2229, 2231, 2234, 2237, 2240-2244, 2250-2253, 2323-2327, 2611, 2628, 2629.
(144.) This is most evident when the building is compared to the Etablissement des Poseidoniastes (GD 57), with its series of cellas, cult statues, and three altars; see Trumper 2002. In the other meeting places religious needs were similarly met either by specific architectural arrangements (niches, nymphaea) or by cultic equipment, with altars, statues, votives, and basins that were, e.g., set up in the courtyard.
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: Arts
Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »