Theodotos Inscription

Late 1st Century BCE or Early 1st Century CE

An ancient rectangular stone tablet engraved with Greek text, featuring clear, deeply carved letters and some signs of wear and erosion on the surface.
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This inscription was found in a cistern in the City of David (Jerusalem), south of the Temple Mount. It mentions a certain Theodotos, priest and founder of a synagogue in Jerusalem, who bears the title archisynagōgos, “ruler of the synagogue.” This is the first
attestation of the Greek term synagogē in reference to a building rather than just an assembly of people.

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Early Synagogue Inscriptions

1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
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Early Evidence for the Synagogue

3rd Century BCE–1st Century CE

Primary sources and archaeological remains, such as inscriptions, document the earliest Jewish communal worship spaces.

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The Ancient Synagogue

4th Century BCE–6th Century CE

Ancient synagogues served as central hubs for Jewish prayer, study, and community life. Archaeological evidence and primary texts reveal the evolution of these sacred spaces from the Hellenistic era to Late Antiquity.

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This building was erected by Julia Severa; P[ublius] Tyrronios Clados, ruler of the synagogue for life [archisynagōgos dia biou], and Lucius, son of Lucius, ruler of the synagogue [archisynagōgos]…
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