ABSTRACT
The cultural shift from the open-centre synagogues of first-century ce in Israel to later forms like the Galilean basilica synagogue was motivated in part by the need to improve synagogue acoustics, especially for rituals like Scripture reading. This chapter looks at the early stages of the Nabratein synagogue hall revealed by archaeological excavation to show how changes in the synagogue’s interior architecture took advantage of the acoustic dynamics of the human voice and the way the human ear interprets sound information. This proof-of-concept study shows that acoustic analysis can reveal significant information about the architectural character of ancient synagogue halls and about the worship that was carried out in them. It brings together historical information about religious worship, the results of archaeological excavations, the physics of sound in interior spaces, and scientific understanding of the subjective human experience of hearing.
