Delos Synagogue

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title: "Delos Synagogue" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ancient-delos", "hellenistic-greece", "hellenistic-jewish-history", "2nd-century-bc-establishments-in-greece", "buildings-and-structures-in-the-south-aegean"] description: "1st century BC building in Mykonos Municipality, Greece" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delos_Synagogue" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1st century BC building in Mykonos Municipality, Greece ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox religious building"]

Field	Value
name	Delos Synagogue
image	Synagogue of Delos, 224595.jpg
image_upright	1.4
caption	Possible Hellenistic synagogue at Delos
religious_affiliation
festival
organisational_status
location	Delos, Mykonos, South Aegean
country	Greece
map_type	Greece South Aegean
map_size	250
map_relief	1
map_caption	Location of the ruins in the South Aegean Sea, in Greece
coordinates
year_completed	BCE
date_demolished
elevation_m
module
::

| name = Delos Synagogue | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image = Synagogue of Delos, 224595.jpg | image_upright = 1.4 | alt = | caption = Possible Hellenistic synagogue at Delos | religious_affiliation = | tradition = | sect = | district = | prefecture = | province = | region = | deity = | rite = | festival = | organisational_status = | ownership = | governing_body = | leadership = | bhattaraka = | patron = | consecration_year = | functional_status = | religious_features_label = | religious_features = | location = Delos, Mykonos, South Aegean | locale = | municipality = | cercle = | state = | country = Greece | map_type = Greece South Aegean | map_size = 250 | map_alt = | map_relief = 1 | map_caption = Location of the ruins in the South Aegean Sea, in Greece | grid_name = | grid_position = | sector = | territory = | administration = | coordinates = | coordinates_footnotes = | heritage_designation = | architect = | architecture_type = | architecture_style = | founded_by = | creator = | funded_by = | general_contractor = | established = | groundbreaking = | year_completed = BCE | construction_cost = | date_demolished = | facade_direction = | capacity = | length = | width = | width_nave = | interior_area = | height_max = | dome_quantity = | dome_height_outer = | dome_height_inner = | dome_dia_outer = | dome_dia_inner = | minaret_quantity = | minaret_height = | spire_quantity = | spire_height = | site_area = | temple_quantity = | monument_quantity = | shrine_quantity = | inscriptions = | materials = | elevation_m = | elevation_footnotes = | nrhp = | designated = | added = | refnum = | delisted1_date = | website = | module = | footnotes = The Delos Synagogue is the name given to a second century Hellenic structure that is located in Delos, in the Mykonos Municipality of the South Aegean region of modern-day Greece. Constructed between 150 and 128 BCE, the origins of the building were initially proposed as a Jewish synagogue; however the building's identification as a synagogue is no longer definitive.

If its existence as a synagogue were proven, the building would be one of the oldest known synagogues.

Discovery and location

The structure was discovered in 1912 by a team led by archaeologist André Plassart. Located on the eastern side of the city of Delos, the building was far from the central areas of the city. Instead, it was built in a section of Delos called the "Stadium Quarter". In contrast to the religious and commercial focus at Delos' centre, this section was mostly residential.

The original identification of the building as a synagogue by Plassart was based in large part on a dedicatory inscription referring to "Theos Hypsistos", or "God Most High", sometimes used as a name for the god of the Jews in antiquity, though not exclusively.

Description

The dominating feature of the building is the large hall, which was presumably used in a flexible way, with moveable furniture, since there is no evidence for benches built along the walls. The hall is oriented towards the east, with a series of secondary rooms at the southern end. The structure itself consisted of two large rooms containing a throne and multiple marble benches as well as many smaller rooms which allowed for access to a cistern.

Purpose

The building's initial use is unknown. The identification of the building as a synagogue or a Samaritan place of worship at any point in its history has been a matter of debate. The first to challenge Plassart's assessment was Belle Mazur in 1935. The construction of benches around the internal walls is used by some as an argument for a synagogue, although this seating arrangement is also known from two pagan temples and other buildings on Delos.

Plassart's initial identification was based on an inscription that was later found to be at a different location, roughly 90 m from the alleged synagogue (area GD 80), in a house located in a residential area (area GD 79).

Matassa argues that neither the physical, literary, or epigraphic evidence supports the identification of the building as a synagogue.

More recent studies have concluded that the evidence suggesting that this building was a synagogue is tenuous at best and will remain an open question.

Literary evidence

There is literary evidence indicating the presence of Jews or Samaritans on Delos. The most substantial text is via Josephus, in the form of a letter to Roman consul Julius Gaius and the council of Parium, specifically referring to the Jews of Delos, dated approximately 70 A.D.:

References

References

1. (7 September 2012). "Delos".
2. Trümper, Monika. (October–December 2004). "The Oldest Original Synagogue Building in the Diaspora: The Delos Synagogue Reconsidered". Hesperia.
3. Mazur, Belle D.. (1935). "Studies on Jewry in Greece". Hestia.
4. Bruneau, Philippe. (1982). "Les Israélites de Délos et la juiverie délienne". Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique.
5. Matassa, Lidia D.. (2018). "Invention of the First-Century Synagogue". [[SBL Press]].
6. Levine, Lee I.. (2005). "The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years". [[Yale University Press]].

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