The archaeological garden focuses on the Jewish heritage of ancient Israel. The exhibition displays architectural remains representing 2000 years of history, from the days of the First Temple period to the Byzantine period (10th century BCE – 7th century CE).

The capitals, door lintels, decorated friezes, mosaics and dedicatory inscriptions are from Jerusalem, Caesarea, Tiberias, as well as from sites in the Golan Heights, the Galilee, the Judean Shephelah and Samaria. They reflect the monumental construction of the First and Second Temple periods, as well as daily life, religious practices and art of the Second Temple and Byzantine periods.

Bazalt stone lintel


Tiberias, 4th-5th centuries CE
The lintel is decorated in relief, depicting a menorah standing on a tripod. To its right are a lulav (palm branch) and an etrog (citron), and to its left is a shofar (ram’s horn). This relief is enclosed within a simple wreath tied in a Hercules knot, ending in pomegranates.

A Samaritan Dedicatory Inscription


Synagogue, Kefar Qalil, Mount Gerizim, 1214 CE
The inscription was excuted in relief on a limestone slab. The rows are separated by raised lines, the words by dots and the paragraphs by a rosette. The inscription attests to the establishment of a synagogue on Mount Gerizim by Abraham son of Emuna Ebiatarna of the Benei Bedua, who contributed to its construction in the year 611 in the reign of Isma’el (1214 CE). The inscription ends in a bkessing to God who helped the founder. The inscription was intially studied and published by Yizhaq Ben Zvi, second president of the State of Israel.

Limestone Lintel


Synagogue, Dalton, Upper Galilee, 4th-7th centuries CE
The lintel is decorated in relief: a conch within a gable, surrounded by vine tendrils and grapes. The stone probably adorned a Torah shrine.

The lintel is decorated in relief: a conch within a gable, surrounded by vine tendrils and grapes. The stone probably adorned a Torah shrine.

Decorated Stone


Jerusalem, The Temple Mount, 1st century CE
An architectural fragment decorated in a relief of floral motifs. The stone probably decorated one of the Hulda gates located in the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

Mosaic Floor


Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter, 1st century BCE-1st century CE
A mosaic floor with a motif of a central rosette framed in a black border. The rosette was a common motif in the Second Temple period, as figurative motifs (anumals, birds and human figures) were largely avoided due to the commandment “You shall not make yourself a graven image or any likeness” (Exodus 20:4).