J. D. B. News Letter

teaching of children, etc., were uncovered outside the synagogue.

By far the most important discovery was the interesting mosaic floor of the synagogue While some of the mosaics were broken, the major part was nevertheless still preserved, and showed various designs as well as four Aramaic inscriptions. The first panel, near the Ark of the Law, had designs of lions with cypress-trees worked in on either side of an inscription of ten lines, set in a round frame. There were two long inscriptions found at the head of the second mosaic panel, decorated with flowers and pomegranates. The third panel was principally composed of geometrical symbols, and also had an inscription.

The inscriptions on this floor excell among those hitherto found in other ancient synagogues of Palestine, in that together with the names of the donors they mention also the various sums of money contributed towards the construction of the synagogue. The value of these inscriptions to Jewish history lies in the fact that in addition to the names of these donors, who came from different communities to the baths at this place, there are also given the names of the cities from which they hailed. Capernaum is mentioned among such towns, this being the first time that its name appears in an inscription of the same period.

A number of coins, a few fragments of pottery, and many pieces of marble from the railing around the Ark of the Law, upon some of which there are also remnants of inscriptions, were found in the excavations.

The expedition also undertook the investigation of the theatre at Hamme and the remains of the Roman baths built over the hot springs. After having completed the excavation of the synagogue, the expedition also investigated other ancient synagogues in Lower Galilee, particularly the remains of the old synagogue in Khirbet Kanef, in Golan, east of Lake Kinnereth.