An 1,800-year-old capital (the upper part of a building column) bearing inscriptions of two Hebrew names was recently discovered in the course of preservation and refurbishment work at the ancient synagogue in Pekiin in the Western Galilee and the adjacent Beit Zinati building. The work is being completed by the Council for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel as part of a legacy project of the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry. The limestone capital was discovered upside down in the building's courtyard. When the inscriptions were spotted, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority were called in to inspect the stone. An initial look at the inscription indicated that it was a dedication to donors who had helped build the synagogue. Yoav Lerer, an IAA inspector for the Western Galilee region, said, "The Talmudic and Midrashic sources tell of the Galilean sages that lived in Pekiin, including Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who hid from the Romans in a cave. However, there are those who disagree with the identification of the location of Pekiin. I believe that these inscriptions will add an important tier to our knowledge about the Jewish settlement in the village of Pekiin during the Roman and Byzantine periods." Last year, other preservation work was carried out at the ancient Pekiin synagogue and at Beit Zinati with the aim of remodeling the visitor's center, which is being refitted to tell the story of the Jews who lived in the village for 2,000 years and the special story of the Zinati family, the oldest Jewish family in the village, who have reportedly lived there since the time of the Second Temple. Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin said that "it's a great honor that on my watch such an important find is made that tells the story of the land of Israel almost 2,000 years ago." As the archaeological establishment labors to preserve the nation's thousands of years of physical heritage, others aim to loot and ruin it. But one such attempt was recently foiled: On Monday, inspectors from the IAA's Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit caught a gang of would-be looters in the act of carrying out an illicit dig at a cave at the foot of a biblical-era fortress in the Goral Hills in southern Israel, some parts of which date back to the seventh century BCE. A few weeks ago, the Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit received intelligence about the suspect activity. Inspectors hurried to the site, but the diggers had already left. The inspectors combed the cave and found several unauthorized holes dug down through the various archaeological layers, creating considerable damage to the site. Authorities suspect that the gang damaged the ancient site while looking for the treasure that legend says is hidden in the cave. The four would-be looters are all in their 30s and residents of the A-Sayyid Bedouin village. The men were finally caught red-handed with help from inspectors from the Israel Parks and Nature Authority and local police officers. They were brought in for questioning and released on their own recognizance. Guy Fitoussi, head of the Antiquities Robbery Prevention Union for the southern region, noted that "this is the second gang of robbers that has been caught this month. Antiquities theft in the Negev region has increased recently due to false rumors about treasure hidden in antiquities sites in the area. "Figures masquerading as religious officials encourage young people from the Bedouin sector to go out and hunt for treasures," Fitoussi said. The IAA said that damaging an archaeological site was a serious crime for which a suspect could serve up to five years in prison if convicted.
