Biblical Hebrew Forum

[James Read <J.Read-2 AT sms.ed.ac.uk>]

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can help me. I'm trying to find primary sources and  
archeological evidence of the Jewish diaspora from the Babylonian  
conquest to the 3rd/4th century CE. I'm particularly interested in  
knowing:

1) The sites of all the diaspora synagogues
2) The dates of their construction, usage, when they stopped being used
3) How they communicated with each other and with Jerusalem after the  
return from exile

I've already found one old synagogue on a river in Veria and it was  
likely built on the site of a much older synagogue. All indications  
seem to be that any river in an old city is a good place to start  
looking but it would be nice if any manuscripts or inscriptions could  
speed up my search. I know there is a lot of stuff that talks about  
the Jewish Diaspora but I just find literature that states something  
as fact without providing a primary source for the information as  
frustrating.

Can anyone help?

James Christian Read

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