Zeev Weiss

BUILDINGS FOR MASS ENTERTAINMENT: Tradition and Innovation in Herodian Construction

Herod the Great was the first king to introduce games and spectacles into the Roman East. His building projects to house these activities were a grandiose expression of the kings desire to maintain a positive rapport with Rome and to integrate Roman cultural patterns into his realm — an ambitious agenda that ultimately revolutionized the leisure habits of the indigenous populations in ancient Palestine. This paper discusses theaters and hippo-stadia — buildings for mass entertainment constructed by Herod the Great in Jerusalem, Samaria, and Caesarea, as well as near his palaces in Jerichoand Herodium. It traces the architectural models that Herod used to shape the buildings in his realm and demonstrates that they, like his other monumental projects, were also characterized by creativity, daring, and innovation, exhibiting local yet eclectic features that combined a variety of Greco-Roman traditions.

Was 70 CE a Watershed in Jewish History

These twenty studies ask whether changes in different fields of ancient Jewish culture were caused by the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, what changed for other reasons, and what did not change despite that event.

Index of Ancient Names and Toponyms

These twenty studies ask whether changes in different fields of ancient Jewish culture were caused by the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, what changed for other reasons, and what did not change despite that event.

Artistic Trends And Contact Between Jews And 'Others' In Late Antique Sepphoris: Recent Research

Sepphoris was a major urban centre in the Lower Galilee in the Roman and late antique periods. Architecturally, artistically, and culturally, it was not very different from the pagan cities of ancient Palestine, and its exposure to and assimilation of Graeco-Roman culture did not hinder Jewish life. This article compares the mosaics found in two public buildings constructed in early-5th c. C.E. Sepphoris, the Nile Festival Building and the synagogue, while arguing that these finds may imply close contact between artists working at different locations and for different communities within the city. This phenomenon demonstrates the city’s distinct character in Late Antiquity and offers insight into the complexity of the cultural relationship between the Jews and other segments of that society.