Zippori National Park
Archaeological park preserving millennia of Galilean history and mosaics.
Zippori National Park is an archaeological reserve in central Galilee, 6 km north-northwest of Nazareth, encompassing the remains of the ancient city of Sepphoris (Hebrew: Tzipori; Arabic: Saffuriya). The site is notable for its continuous occupation from the Hellenistic period through the Ottoman era and for its role as a Jewish spiritual and cultural center in late antiquity, including the seat of the Sanhedrin. It preserves a rich architectural legacy with structures from the Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods, including over sixty mosaics from the third to the sixth century CE.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Central Galilee, 6 km (3.73 mi) north-northwest of Nazareth
- Elevation
- 286 meters above sea level
- Ancient names
- Sepphoris
- Tzipori
- Saffuriya
- Eirenopolis
- Diocaesarea
- Autocratoris
- Key structures
- Roman theatre
- two early Christian churches
- Crusader fort
- fifth-century synagogue
- Roman villa with Dionysus mosaic
Facts from the source article.
Names
In Ancient Greek the city was called Sepphoris, derived from its Hebrew name Tzipori, which is understood as a variant of the Hebrew word for bird (tzipor), possibly because the city is perched on a mountaintop like a bird. Around 68 CE, during the First Jewish War, coins read "ΕΠΙ ΟΥΕϹΠΑΙΑΝΟΥ ΕΙΡΗΝΟΠΟΛΙϹ ΝΕΡΩΝΙΑ ϹΕΠΦΩ", meaning 'Under Vespasian, Eirenopolis-Neronias-Sepphoris', where Eirenopolis declared the city a 'city of peace' and Neronias honored Nero. This name choice has been interpreted as reflecting a cultural synthesis of Jewish faith, Greek philosophy, and Roman pragmatism. The name was later changed to Diocaesarea, either in 129/30 CE under Hadrian or during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138–161 CE), in honor of the emperor's identification with Zeus Olympias. Coins from that period bore the inscription "ΔΙΟΚΑΙϹΑΡΙΑ ΙΕΡΑ ΑϹYΛΟϹ ΚΑΙ ΑΥΤΟΝΟΜΟϹ" (of Diocaesarea, Holy City of Shelter, Autonomous). The name Sepphoris was reinstated before the end of Antoninus Pius's rule.
History
The Hebrew Bible does not mention the city, though Jewish tradition identifies it with Kitron from the Book of Judges. The Mishna 'Arakhin 9:6 states that the old fortress of Zippori was walled during Joshua's era. The Hasmoneans conquered Galilee in 104 BCE, and after Pompey's campaigns the city fell under Roman rule in 63 BCE, becoming one of five synods of Roman influence around 57 BCE. Herod the Great recaptured Sepphoris in 37 BCE from the Parthian proxy Antigonus II Mattathias and built a royal palace-fortress. After Herod's death in 4 BCE, a rebel named Judas attacked the city, and the Roman governor Varus reportedly burned it and sold its inhabitants into slavery, though archaeology has not verified traces of fire. Herod Antipas rebuilt it as Autocratoris, calling it the 'Ornament of the Galilee', and expanded the palace and city wall. The city remained predominantly Jewish through late antiquity, thriving as a center of learning with a multiethnic population of some 30,000 until the end of the Byzantine era in the 630s.
Archaeological park
Excavations have revealed Jewish homes along a main cobblestone street, with carvings including a menorah and a game resembling tic-tac-toe. Stepped pools, likely used as Mikva'ot (Jewish ritual baths), have been uncovered. The Roman theatre, 45 m in diameter and seating 4,500, is carved into the northern slope, with some parts supported by stone pillars; it shows damage possibly from the 363 earthquake. A modern structure overlooks a 5th-century public building with a large mosaic floor, believed to have been used for festival rituals involving water, with drainage channels and a mosaic measuring Nile floods. A Roman villa from around 200 CE contains an elaborate mosaic floor in a triclinium, featuring Dionysus, Pan, and Hercules in 15 panels, including a wine-drinking contest between Dionysus and Hercules. The most famous image is a young woman dubbed the 'Mona Lisa of the Galilee', made with smaller tesserae for greater detail. A 5th-century synagogue (20.7 m by 8 m) at the town's edge has a mosaic floor divided into seven parts: a scene of angels visiting Sarah, the binding of Isaac, a zodiac with Hebrew month names and the Greek sun god Helios in his chariot, and two lions flanking a wreath with paws on an ox's head.
Excavation history
The first excavations at Zippori took place in 1931, led by Leory Waterman from the University of Michigan. James F. Strange of the University of South Florida began investigating the Crusader fortress in 1983, and his work continued through 2010, revealing Roman baths and a large administrative building where the Decumanus and Cardo meet. Since 1990, a Hebrew University team has uncovered much of the site. In 2012, Zidan Omar surveyed the area for the Israel Antiquities Authority. Then, in June 2018, two Byzantine-era wine presses were found underground.
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