Qazion: A Late Second–Early Third-Century CE Rural Cultic Complex in the Upper Galilee Dedicated to Septimius Severus and His Family

First discovered in 1860, the monumental structure at Qazion and its late second-century CE Greek dedicatory inscription by Galilean Jews have been a focal point of scholarly debate. Did this building serve as a synagogue for the local community or was it a Roman temple constructed by Jews to honor Septimius Severus and his family? This article presents the results of the Hachlili and Killebrew archaeological survey of the Qazion cultic complex and a new interpretation of this site located on the border of Jewish and pagan Galilee.