Ancient Jewish Communities in Macedonia, Thrace and Upper Epirus

Abstract

Literary, epigraphic and archaeological-architectural evidence attest to the existence of Jewish communities in Macedonia, Thrace and Upper Epirus (nowadays Albania) during the Roman and early Byzantine periods. The Acts of the Apostles mention Jewish communities and their synagogues in Philippi, Thessaloniki and Verroia in Macedonia. The discovery of Greek inscriptions at Bizye (in Thrace), in Thessaloniki, in Dion and in the ancient synagogue at Stobi, suggests that these communities had preserved their religious independence and enjoyed a secure social, economic and cultural status. An ancient Jewish tomb found in Thessaloniki, decorated with a menorah, and the synagogue of Claudius Tiberius Polycharmos at Stobi and that in Saranda (Upper Epirus), add archaeological-architectural evidence to the literary sources. Although the literary sources, the epigraphic evidence and the archaeological- architectural finds are relatively scant, it would seem that other Jewish communities too existed in these regions and in other parts of the Balkan peninsula.