Although excavators Meyers, Kraabel, and Strange (1976) identified two earthquake events (
Eusebius' Martyr Quake of ~306 CE and
Monaxius and Plinta Quake of 419 CE) which destroyed a Synagogue I and then a Synagogue II at
Khirbet Shema, subsequent authors (
e.g. Russell, 1980 and
Magness, 1997) re-examined their chronology and redated the earthquake evidence.
Russell (1980) redated the two earthquake events to the northern Cyril Quake
of 363 CE and the Monaxius and Plinta Quake of 419 CE while Magness (1997)
concluded that there was no solid evidence for the existence of a Synagogue I on the site and evidence for an earthquake event in ~306 CE was lacking. She posited that Synagogue II was
constructed in the late 4th to early 5th century CE and concluded that there was no solid evidence for the 419 CE (or 363 CE) earthquake as well. In Magness (1997) interpretation of the
evidence, she suggested that the site had been abandoned when an earthquake brought down Synagogue II sometime before the 8th century CE.
Two sealed loci at the site provide a terminus post quem for the construction of Synagogue II.
The latest coin found within a Bema was dated to
337-341 AD during the rule of Constans. The bema was described as "absolutely
sealed by the stonework of the bema around and over it" where
"contamination by later intrusions is virtually impossible" (Meyers, Kraabel, and Strange 1976:34). A declivity in the northwest
corner of Synagogue II contained fill which was
"sealed beneath more than a meter of debris, including large fallen architectural members" (Meyers, Kraabel, and Strange 1976: 34).
Pottery within the fill below was described as homogeneous
Middle-Late Roman. At the lowest levels a coin from Gratian (who ruled from 367-383 AD)
was discovered.
Meyers, Kraabel, and Strange (1976) interpreted the construction above the declivity to be part of a remodel. If we consider that construction
above the declivity could also represent original construction,
the terminus post quem for the construction of Synagogue II is between 337 and 383 AD. It is conceivable that Synagogue II was constructed
over earthquake damaged remains of an earlier structure
due to the presence of "battered architectural fragments built into Synagogue II (including those identified as belonging to the "Torah shrine")
(Magness, 1997:216) however, as pointed out by
Magness (1997) the provenance of these battered elements is unknown. They could come from another building.
Nevertheless, this can be considered as possible archeoseismic evidence which
predates the construction of Synagogue II. As for the causative earthquake(s), the
Eusebius' Martyr Quake of ~306 AD
and the Cyril Quake of 363 AD are both possibilities. Two other fills were examined
(east and west of the Stylobate wall) but neither were
sealed and neither added chronological precision to the construction of Synagogue II.