Qision (, also spelled Qazion and Qatsion) was an ancient settlement in

Upper Galilee The Upper Galilee (, ''HaGalil Ha'Elyon''; , ''Al Jaleel Al A'alaa'') is a geographical region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Part of the larger Galilee region, it is characterized by its higher elevations and mountainous terra ...

, now an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

in northern Israel, featuring the ruins of the settlement, including a public building, possibly an ancient synagogue, alongside an inscription dedicated to the Roman emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...

and his family commissioned by the local Jewish community. The site is known as Ḥorvat Qazyon (), and in Arabic as Khirbet Qasyun or Khirbet Keisun.

Location

The site is located in the Upper Galilee, approximately 9 km northeast of

Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...

and 1 km north of

Meroth Marus () was a Palestinian village in Upper Galilee, 7 km northeast of Safad. In the Roman and medieval period it had Jewish population, and by the 16th century it became entirely Muslim. After a period of desertion, the Ottoman authoritie ...

, a Jewish village dating from the Late Roman and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

periods. The hill is covered with large ''

Pistacia atlantica ''Pistacia atlantica'' is a species of Pistacia, pistachio tree known by the English language, English common name Mt. Atlas mastic tree, Atlas pistachio, Atlantic pistacio, Atlantic terebinth, wild pistachio, and Cyprus turpentine tree. ''P. a ...

'' trees. The ruin and the Qision brook are situated within the

Dishon Stream The Dishon Stream (, Nahal Dishon) is an intermittent stream/''wadi'' in Upper Galilee, Israel. It is 26 kilometers long, starts on the eastern slope of Mount Meron and drains into the Jordan River in the area of the drained Hula Lake. It is one ...

area, constituting a fire zone. As such, access to the site necessitates prior coordination with military authorities.

History

Twice mentioned in

rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire corpus of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic ...

, particularly in the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

, Qision appears in the name of Rabbi Yohanan from Kasion (), elsewhere as Karṣion (), a sage from the third century. These passages strongly suggest the presence of a Jewish community at the site during the second and third centuries CE. This is further supported by surveys conducted on the site, which revealed a primary period of occupation during the same period. Archaeologist Zvi Ilan proposed that the name Qision is derived from the Hebrew word , meaning "edge," reflecting its position as one of the northernmost points of Jewish settlement in

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

. During the reign of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Severan dynasty The Severan dynasty, sometimes called the Septimian dynasty, ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. It was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus () and Julia Domna, his wife, when Septimius emerged victorious from civil war of 193 - 197, ...

, Qision was part of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Syria Phoenice Phoenice ( ; ) was a province of the Roman Empire, encompassing the historical region of Phoenicia. It was officially created in 194 AD and after , Phoenice Syria was divided into Phoenice proper or Phoenice Paralia, and Phoenice Libanensis, a ...

. The site experienced another period of occupation during the

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

era, particularly the 13th and 14th centuries, when it was possibly occupied by a Muslim group. In a tradition originating from Safed in the 16th century, Qision is believed to house the tombs of Rabbi Yohanan from Kasion and Rabbi

Shimon Ben Lakish Shimon ben Lakish (; ''Shim‘on bar Lakish'' or ''bar Lakisha''), better known by his nickname Reish Lakish (c. 200 — c. 275), was an amora who lived in the Roman province of Judaea in the third century. He was said to be born in Bosra, eas ...

. Qision's ruins were first discovered in 1860 by

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; ; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, writing on Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote wo ...

. The Arabic term ''Khirbet Keisun'', recorded in the

PEF Survey of Palestine The PEF Survey of Palestine was a series of surveys carried out by the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) between 1872 and 1877 for the completed Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) and in 1880 for the soon abandoned Survey of Eastern Palestine. The ...

, preserves the ancient name.

Archaeology

Monumental structure and complex

The discovery of a distinctive complex of structures in Qision, comprising a sizable monumental building and a western structure, unparalleled elsewhere, alongside an inscription honoring the Roman emperor (see

below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname * Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general * Fred Belo ...

), has sparked significant scholarly debate about its intended function. Opinions are split between two interpretations:

Jewish synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

or a Syro-Phoenician

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

, who discovered the site in 1860, and

Victor Guérin Victor Guérin (; 15 September 1821 – 21 September 1890) was a French people, French intellectual, explorer and amateur archaeologist. He published books describing the geography, archeology and history of the areas he explored, which included ...

, who referenced it in his 1880 book, both identified the structure as a synagogue. However, PEF explorers Conder and Kitchener, following their visit in 1877, proposed identifying it with a Roman temple, dating back to the same period as the Temple at

Kedesh Kedesh (alternate spellings: Qedesh, Cadesh, Cydessa) was an ancient Canaanite and later Israelite settlement in Upper Galilee, mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. Its remains are located in Tel Kedesh, northeast of the modern Kibbut ...

. In the 20th century, E.W.G. Masterman, in his 1909 writing, identified the site as a synagogue. Conversely, in a 1916 study, E. Kohl and C. Watzinger classified it as a temple, drawing parallels to Kedesh and other Roman temples in the region. In 1987, following a survey, A. Bar Oz and Zvi Ilan concluded that it was a public building with

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

characteristics. In an effort to resolve this dispute, Rachel Hachlili and Ann E. Killebrew undertook three survey seasons at the site in 1992 and 1997. Despite their consensus that it was not a synagogue, they arrived at differing conclusions. Killebrew proposed that the structure might have functioned as part of a cultic complex for ceremonies or festivals, constructed by local Jews to honor the imperial family of

. Hachlili interpreted the site as a complex that served as a communal and religious center for

priestly families Priestly is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Craig Priestly, a rugby footballer * Miranda Priestly, a character in ''The Devil Wears Prada'' * Paul Priestly, a character in ''EastEnders'' See also * Priestley (disambiguati ...

relocating to Galilee after the

Jewish–Roman wars The Jewish–Roman wars were a series of large-scale revolts by the Jews of Judaea against the Roman Empire between 66 and 135 CE. The conflict was driven by Jewish aspirations to restore the political independence lost when Rome conquer ...

, along with the local Jewish communities, serving as a space for the performance and preservation of priestly rituals. According to her analysis, the architectural features and the presence of ritual purification pools and an

incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...

altar suggest its role in maintaining Jewish religious practices following the

destruction of the Temple Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kin ...

. This includes facilitating rituals like incense burning and the Water Libation Ceremony observed in the Temple during

Sukkot Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelite ...

. Next to the northern wall of the monumental structure is a decorated, broken lintel adorned with

grapevine ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...

branches bearing clusters of grapes, alongside Acanthus syriacus

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

Inscription dedicated to the family of Septimius Severus

Greek-language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...

inscription was found in Qision, dating to 195/6 CE. Discovered near an ancient building in 1860 by

,Renan, E. (1871) p. 774 it was rediscovered in 1984. This inscription, originally part of a

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

, is dedicated to the salvation of

and

his family ''His Family'' is a novel by Ernest Poole published in 1917 about the life of a New York widower and his three daughters in the 1910s. It received the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918. Plot introduction ''His Family'' tells the story ...

. The inscription is missing a section from the right corner. On the left side, a

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a ring shape. In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and C ...

with stylized leaves ending in a ribbon bound in a 'Hercules' knot features the name of

Julia Domna Julia Domna (; – 217 AD) was Roman empress from 193 to 211 as the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. She was the first empress of the Severan dynasty. Domna was born in Emesa (present-day Homs) in Roman Syria to an Arab family of priests ...

. A similar wreath on the right side is missing. The inscription was dedicated by the local Jewish community, as indicated in its text "in accord with the vow of the Jews" (). The Jewish villagers of Qision sought to display their loyalty to the imperial family, mirroring the practices of other communities in the province of Syria. Similar inscriptions have been uncovered in Pannonia and Ostia, while a midrash refers to a synagogue known as "of Severus" in Rome. Scholars interpret the existence of such inscriptions, which uncommonly praise rulers in ancient Jewish contexts, as indicative of the special honor bestowed upon the Severan dynasty by Jewish communities. Similar inscriptions have been discovered in

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...

and Ostia, while one ''

midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

'' references a synagogue known as "of Severus" in Rome. According to one interpretation, this unusual occurrence of mentioning rulers, especially with praise, in ancient Jewish inscriptions suggests that the Jews held the Severan dynasty in special esteem.

Olive oil press and burial caves

To the west of the public structure lie the remnants of an olive oil press, suggesting that the local inhabitants derived their livelihood from cultivating olive trees and producing olive oil. Several burial caves are situated on the southern slope of the ruin.

References

{{Ancient synagogues, state=expanded Ancient Jewish settlements of Galilee Talmud places Ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel Archaeological sites in Israel