One of world's oldest synagogues found in Russia's Black Sea region

One of the oldest synagogues in the world was discovered during an archaeological expedition in the Krasnodar region in Russia. 

The base and contours of the walls of the synagogue were discovered by archaeologists near the Black Sea coast. According to a press release by the Volnoe Delo Foundation that organized the excavations in Phanagoria, which used to be the largest ancient Greek city on the Taman Peninsula, the building was built during the late Second Temple era, which lasted from 516 BCE until 70 CE.

“Ritual marble candlesticks (menorahs), tables for liturgies and fragments of marble steles, one of which bears the ancient Greek inscription "synagogue," were found inside the building. Finds from previous years — marble tablets saying "house of prayer" and "synagogue" dated to 16 and 51 years CE — suggest that the Phanagoria synagogue existed already at the beginning of the 1st century CE, which makes it the oldest in Russia and one of the oldest in the world,” the statement said. 

According to archeologists, the Phanagoria synagogue was a complex of two rooms, each with an area of ​​more than 645 square feet. The synagogue had rich decoration, including marble columns and tables for liturgies that were preserved inside.

“Its walls were painted and tiled, the roof was tiled. The ornaments of the marble menorahs found in the temple are unique and different from those of the Middle East. The synagogue of Phanagoria existed until the middle of the 6th century, when during an attack by barbarian tribes in the city plundered it, and all the buildings were burned,” the press release said, asserting that the synagogue was active over a period of approximately 500 years. 

The images of menorahs on amphoras and tombstones of this period also tell experts about the presence of a large Jewish community in Phanagoria as early as the 1st century CE. Known records from medieval historians also suggest that the Jews made up a significant part of the city's population. 

At the end of the Second Temple period, marked by the destruction of Jerusalem and the expulsion of Jews from the land of Israel into the Diaspora, many Jews settled in the area of the Mediterranean basin before moving inland. 

The location of the synagogue in Phanagoria, on the Black Sea coast, provides evidence that religions spread by sea, according to Ruben Bunyatyan, spokesman for the Volnoe Delo foundation. Vladimir Kuznetsov, the director of archaeological mission in Phanagoria, said it was likely that Jewish exiles had relocated to the ancient city and built the synagogue. 

From there, the religion spread into the territory of modern-day Russia, although further evidence of ancient synagogues has not yet been uncovered. Most of Phanagoria remains underwater today, as archaeologists seek to recover its remnants of the ancient trade hub.

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