M.A. thesis topic: The Custom of Concealing Coins in Synagogue Foundations in the Byzantine period in Israel-The Synagogue at Dir 'Aziz as a Test Case. Advisor: Dr. Uzi Leibner
Advisor: Dr. Orit Peleg-Barkat
My M.A. thesis focuses on the architectural decoration found at Herodium, the first century BCE palace of king Herod and on the sources of cultural influence, which can be inferred from the analysis and the context of the architectural elements at the site. At the focal point of my research stands the architectural decorative assemblage which was revealed in the mountain palace-fortress. Those items, the vast majority of which has never been scientifically analysed, are presented in detail and several aspects are examined, such as the stone types and the carving techniques, typology and their archaeological and architectural context. My methodology includes an on-site 3D-scanning and following computational analyses, together with more traditional research methods. The long-run excavation project at Herodium has identified several construction phases at the site, which can be aligned in a relative stratigraphy. Thus, examining the architectural items in their archaeological context helps us trace stylistic changes in the decoration that stretches across a chronological scale, and to identify accordingly trends of progress and development in Herod’s building program. Additionally, the project seeks to suggest a reconstruction for some of the architectural units and their decoration at the site. This reconstruction will help in understanding the architectural characteristics of Herodium in particular and King Herod’s architecture in general. Equipped with such knowledge, many unsolved questions that the sheer architectural plan cannot answer, might be addressed, such as: which architectural units had the most elaborate decoration? How did the upper parts of the towers look like? etc.
M.A. thesis subject: The Monumental Building at Tel Dor
Supervisor: Prof. Ilan Sharon
Advisor: Dr. Orit Peleg-Barkat
Abstract: Graffiti, i.e. texts and/or images that are engraved or painted by people who are not professional artists in public or private environments, buildings, objects, and natural sites, are nowadays viewed as an act of vandalism. In antiquity, however, graffiti was considered a legitimate tool for expressing ideas, messages, or attitudes of the makers of the graffiti. The study examines the appearance of graffiti in the region of Jerusalem and its environs during the Hellenistic and Roman periods (second century BCE to the fourth century CE), relying on the approach of anthropology of art, which is sub-field within Social Anthropology, that considers every work of art, even the most simple and ordinary ones, as a meaningful creation. The graffiti will be also examined in its environmental–architectural context, since graffiti should be seen as an active intervention of the person in his environment. The purpose of this study is to study both cultural differences between different ethnic groups and changes in their use of this medium over time.
Topic of research (m.a.): Provenance of mosaic tessera from the Classical periods in Israel
Advisors: Prof. Zeev Weiss, Prof. Naomi Porat (Geological Survey of Israel)
Research Summery:
Much has been written about mosaics from an artistic and iconographic point of view. I would like to look at mosaics from a geological point of view: from finding out what kind of stone was used, I shall try to understand where the stone was brought from, and learn through that how much effort and money was put into the building. In my research I will compare the tessera from various mosaics whether synagogue floors, church floors or other buildings from the Roman and Byzantine periods.
Areas of interest:
Projects:
Advisor: Prof. Nigel Goring-Morris
Advisor: Prof. Yosef Garfinkel
Projects:
11th centuries.
Advisors: Katia Cytryn-Silverman & Rivka Rabinovich
Abstract: Tabariya, the capital of Junnd al-Urdun (Jordan Province) since the 7thcentury, located in the west coast of the sea of Galilee, served as a fundamental metropolis in the fertile crescent between the Mediterranean Sea and Damascus. Since its foundation in the early first century, the city continued to flourish during the geo-political changes until the 12thcentury, when the Crusaders moved the city center to the north ( Old city/Ottmanid City). Archaeological excavations in the last two decades have revealed the Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic city, including monumental public buildings, such as the city gates, Cardo street, perimeter Wall, Theater, Bath house, Churches and Mosque. The mosque, which served as “Jamii” (Friday mosque) is located between the east and west cardos, main streets with shops. The mosque and its purity may be offended due to the shops and their leftovers, which may be the reason why the prestigious building is bound by open dirt areas. Tiberias mosque is a rare case due the fact that it is the only mosque in to be excavated in the 21th century and dating back to the early Islamic period (7th till 12th century). This mosque is the most valuable building concerning the daily-life religious, cultural and political affairs. Research on any factor relating the mosque is bound to lead to new, yet unknown, information. The archaeological excavation directed by D. Katia Cytryn since 2009 revealed private homes south to the mosque (Area M4) and shops west to the mosque (Area M1), which share the same wall. In both areas a large quantity of zoological finds, mainly animal bones were collected and are yet to be analyzed.
It should be noted that live animals or animal bones are considered as impure in Islam. Thus, monumental mosques since the 9th century in Iraq and Egypt have a Zyiadaa, an extra frame enclosing the mosque, to keep it pure and clean. The zoological finds found in context with the Tiberias mosque, also Known as Masjid al-Yasmin (Jasmin Mosque), may therefore reveal the nutrition, economical level, sanitation and mobility of people at the city center. This type of study has not been conducted before.
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