face the center, with the flame on the side closer to the center. The central lamp has its wick and flame in the middle of the lamp, something that is unknown in the archaeological record. Future studies will examine more closely the peculiar form of this lamp.
Unfortunately the menorah is not fully preserved, because a column base was later cut directly through the mosaic when the synagogue underwent renovations.
After the conclusion of this summer’s excavations, the mosaic was removed from the site and transferred to the Israel Museum laboratories for conservation and restoration.
The three hectare-site of Horvat Kur is located on a hilltop a few kilometers off the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee, in the vicinity of ancient Jewish towns such as Magdala and Capernaum. It is also close to important ancient Christian pilgrimage centers such as Tabgha. Along with a stone seat and a decorated stone table previously discovered at Horvat Kur, the mosaic adds valuable new data to an already vibrant study of a region that is crucial to ancient Jewish and Christian history and culture.
Preliminary analysis of the finds at Horvat Kur indicates that Christian monasteries and surrounding Jewish villages had close economic connections. The finds also show that rural eastern Galilee was receiving imports from regions as far away as North Africa, the Black Sea, and southern and western Turkey.
The excavations on Horvat Kur have been carried out since 2007 by the Kinneret Regional Project, an international research consortium sponsored by University of Bern, University of Helsinki, Leiden University and Wofford College. For further information see www.kinneret-excavations.org.
The newly found mosaic with an inscription in the Horvat Kur synagogue (photographed by Jaakko Haapanen, www.haapanenphotography.com; © Kinneret Regional Project.