Archaeologists Discover a Rare Talmudic-Era Mosaic in the Galilee

March 19 2019

Several years ago, part of an ancient winepress was uncovered in the ruins of the village of Korazim (known in the New Testament as Chorazim), but only recently have archaeologists been able to investigate further without damaging it. They found a mosaic floor that, like the winepress, dates to the talmudic period (200-500 CE), as the Jerusalem Post reports:

The winepress was found within the village, while most other winepresses are discovered outside of villages. . . . The winepress is about 52.5 square feet in area. . . . The farmers invested in decorating the winepress floor with a mosaic of patterns of squares and diamond shapes.

Korazim [also] houses impressive remains of a Jewish village from the time of the Talmud, including a magnificent synagogue. Korazim is mentioned in the New Testament and the Babylonian Talmud as a place where high-quality grain was produced, such as the wheat brought to the Temple.

The synagogue at Korazim is in the Galilean style, made from basalt stone. The inside of the synagogue features seashell decorations, a copy of the art of the Holy Ark [once found in the Temple], and a basalt throne, known as the Seat of Moses, with a dedication written on it to the donor of the chair.

Read more at Jerusalem Post

More about: Ancient Israel, Archaeology, Galilee, History & Ideas, Synagogues, Talmud, Wine

Oil Is Iran’s Weak Spot. Israel Should Exploit It

Israel will likely respond directly against Iran after yesterday’s attack, and has made known that it will calibrate its retaliation based not on the extent of the damage, but on the scale of the attack. The specifics are anyone’s guess, but Edward Luttwak has a suggestion, put forth in an article published just hours before the missile barrage: cut off Tehran’s ability to send money and arms to Shiite Arab militias.

In practice, most of this cash comes from a single source: oil. . . . In other words, the flow of dollars that sustains Israel’s enemies, and which has caused so much trouble to Western interests from the Syrian desert to the Red Sea, emanates almost entirely from the oil loaded onto tankers at the export terminal on Khark Island, a speck of land about 25 kilometers off Iran’s southern coast. Benjamin Netanyahu warned in his recent speech to the UN General Assembly that Israel’s “long arm” can reach them too. Indeed, Khark’s location in the Persian Gulf is relatively close. At 1,516 kilometers from Israel’s main airbase, it’s far closer than the Houthis’ main oil import terminal at Hodeida in Yemen—a place that was destroyed by Israeli jets in July, and attacked again [on Sunday].

Read more at UnHerd

More about: Iran, Israeli Security, Oil