The synagogue at Beit Alpha appears to have suffered structural collapse and destruction sometime after the early 6th century CE. During excavations, Sukenik (1932:13) described a distinct collapse layer, noting that basalt blocks from the pillars were discovered lying east and west of their original bases. He concluded that “these stones … show how this ancient synagogue had been destroyed,” interpreting their displacement as the result of “a strong earth-tremor” oriented approximately west to east.

Further evidence of seismic damage was revealed in the stratigraphy below the pillar debris. According to Sukenik (1932:14), the excavators found large quantities of plaster (20–25 cm thick) covering the floor surfaces, particularly in the central nave, as well as numerous fragments of roof tiles made from reddish and greyish-brown clay. Sukenik interpreted this plaster as “the first to fall to the floor as a result of the shaking by the earthquake,” suggesting a sequence of collapse in which interior finishes detached before the roofing structure fell.

Coins discovered beneath the destruction debris provide important chronological constraints for this seismic event. In a hollow built into the floor of the apse, Sukenik (1932:48) recovered 36 bronze coins, of which seven survived in good condition. The earliest coin dated to the reign of Constantine the Great (306–337 CE), while the latest belonged to the reign of Justin I (518–527 CE). The Aramaic inscription commemorating the construction of one of the synagogue’s mosaics, also dated to the time of Justin I, reinforces this terminus post quem for the major phase of earthquake-induced destruction reflected in the pillar collapse.

Additional material was uncovered above the destruction layers, including fragments of Arab-period ceramics in the uppermost debris (Sukenik 1932:48–49). These ceramics were not systematically analyzed or dated; however, one fragment was identified as part of a pre-Crusade Arab earthenware vessel. This provides a terminus ante quem of 1099 CE.