Aspects of Music Culture in the Land of Israel during the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Periods: Sepphoris as a Case Study

The Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods in the Land of Israel are defined, for the purpose of this study, from the last third of the fourth century BCE to the first half of the seventh century CE. This period is noted by significant historical and cultural changes that brought to the region a thousand years of Hellenistic culture, manifested in language, art, music, cult and thought. Yet, despite and alongside the changes, a continuum is noted, especially pertaining to the earlier Eastern or local traditions.

One of the basic assumptions of this study is that the Land of Israel during this time offers an opportunity to examine the development of music culture in a region that was inhabited by people of various ethnoi. Utilizing an innovative multidisciplinary field involving archaeology, ethnology and musicology, use is made of tools, theories and methodologies from these respective fields in an attempt to gain further information and a better understanding of the music culture in the Land of Israel. Based on the abundance of music-related artifacts found, this paper examines aspects of religious/ethnic identity of the multifaceted population, using Sepphoris — the capital city and cultural center in the Galilee during the Roman and Byzantine periods — as a case study.