Based on architectural analysis, the synagogue at Arbel is generally dated to the 4th century CE, though it underwent several modifications, including a possible rebuilding phase over earlier ruins, perhaps in the 6th century CE ( Ilan and Izdarechet in Stern et al., 1993). According to Ilan and Izdarechet, the synagogue appears to have been destroyed in the mid-eighth century CE, a conclusion apparently grounded in numismatic finds. However, the coins in question were recovered from surface contexts rather than secure stratigraphic layers, limiting their interpretive value.

The same authors suggested that it is possible that after the destruction of the synagogue and the community in the eighth century, the site remained desolate for two to three hundred years, until it was resettled in the Ayyubid period. Amiran et al. (1994) also reported that the synagogue’s destruction in the mid-8th century was due to an earthquake, citing a personal communication with Z. Ilan of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums in 1989.