Place · Syria, Mesopotamia and Persia
Dura-Europos
Ancient names: Doura, Europos
A frontier city on the Euphrates, founded in the Seleucid period, whose painted synagogue was preserved under sand around 256 CE.
34.7479°N 40.7299°E · representative coordinate · Pleiades 893990 ↗
Statements linked to this place
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The synagogue of Dura-Europos, on the Euphrates, was found in 1932. The city, founded in the Seleucid period, changed hands between Parthians and Romans and then between Romans and Sasanians. Around 256 CE, in the city's final defense, the inhabitants tore off the roof of the synagogue, which stood by the wall, and filled it with sand to strengthen the wall, thereby preserving its paintings.
Community: Jews of Dura-Europos
The synagogue of Dura-Europos, on the Euphrates, was found in 1932. The city, founded in the Seleucid period, changed hands between Parthians and Romans and then between Romans and Sasanians. Around 256 CE, in the city's final defense, the inhabitants tore off the roof of the synagogue, which stood by the wall, and filled it with sand to strengthen the wall, thereby preserving its paintings. The synagogue ended up destroyed in a battle between Romans and Sasanians; according to recent archaeological finds, the fighting may have involved toxic gas against the Roman defenders. The Jews of southern Mesopotamia, Babylonia proper, by contrast lived near the heart of Sasanian power and could build a steadier, better protected community.