By A.M. Goldstein

HAIFA —A mosaic and two hoards of gold coins, one with 5 and the other with 15 coins, from an archaeological discovery of the ancient Jewish village of Ein Gedi and its ancient synagogue will be on display for the first time ever in an exhibition, "Ein Gedi—A Very Big Village of Jews," which opens at the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa on March 30.

In addition to the mosaic, which has an inscription in Aramaic, the exhibition will also include a 7-branched menorah, a bronze goblet, basket remains, ropes, wooden bowls, combs, animal bones, remains of seeds, cooking tools, a grinding tool, a unique serving pitcher, cosmetics, and jewelry.

On display are also finds from the village cemetery, among them a wooden coffin, remains of shrouds, as well as wooden and bronze instruments. These particular finds are said to allow for a deeper understanding of Jewish burial customs during the Roman period.

The finds, originally from excavations conducted from 1970-1972, 1984-1989, and 1996-2002, complement the accepted view in written sources of the development of the Jewish village of Ein Gedi during the Roman-Byzantine period.

Hebrew University Professor Yizhar Hirschfeld, who conducted the excavations of the site between 1996 and 2002, is curator of the University of Haifa exhibition, which is free to the public.

A.M. Goldstein is the English language editor for the University of Haifa's Department of External Affairs.