The ruins of a 9th century synagogue at Khirbet Sussia, about 20 miles southeast of Hebron, was cited as evidence today that Jewish settlements in the Judaea region continued well after the Moslem conquest in the 7th century. This and other recent archaeological finds were described at the convention of the Israel Exploration Society held here. Prof. Shmarhyu Guttman said the remnants found at Sussia were part of a once large synagogue that seems to have been used until the 9th century.
Two Hebrew inscriptions were found worked into an elaborate mosaic floor. Both mention the names of the donors. Prof. Avraham Birun, director of the government’s department of antiquities, reported that a number of seven branched oil lamps dating from the 18th century BCE have been unearthed near Beit Shemesh in the Jerusalem foothills. He said they were believed to have been used for ritual purposes indicating that the site may have been a Canaanite sanctuary. Another find was a burial cave dating from the period of the Second Temple.
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