Synagogue at Ostia, Fourth Century

Synagogue at Ostia, Fourth Century

While the initial creation of the synagogue in Ostia by its Jewish community remains unclear, this plan shows the synagogue in its final phase, after the fourth century. The structure itself probably dates back at the very latest to the early third century. The latest phase included the addition of a courtyard, east of the assembly hall (14), and communal gathering space (18). An inscription found on the site, dating to the third century, and reused in the fourth century floor of the assembly hall, notes the Torah Ark was dedicated by a Mindius Faustus on behalf of the health of the Roman emperor. This shows the degree of civic acculturation by Ostia's Jewish community, similar to its devotees of Mithras.

Michael White, UT-Austin/Ostia Synagogue Area Project

Boin, Doug. Ostia in Late Antiquity. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016.

2016

Doug Boin