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Excavations at the ancient city of Sepphoris have played a significant role in defining our understanding of cultural interactions in Roman period Galilee. Finds such as the Early Roman period theater and the Dionysiac house demonstrate a significant Greco-Roman influence on the primarily Jewish settlement of Sepphoris. Numismatic evidence suggests that capitulation of Sepphoris to the Romans during the Jewish revolt allowed the city to retain strong symbolic elements of its Jewish identity. This coexistence of Jewish and Hellenic traditions formed a cultural melting pot in Sepphoris. The close proximity of Nazareth to this cultural crossroads has led many archaeologists and historians to speculate as to the city's affect on the philosophy of Jesus Christ. Although such discussion is interesting, the archaeological record has not, and probably will never yield any definitive evidence on the subject. Archaeology in Sepphoris is able to identify broad cultural themes, but can not prove the inculcation of values on an individual basis.

Leroy Waterman began excavations at Sepphoris in 1931 and discovered a large theater on the northern slope of the Acropolis. Many scholars attribute the construction of this structure to Herod Antipas (4 BCE-39 CE). However, more recent archaeological evidence obtained by Professor James F. Strange of the U. of Florida and Dr. Ze'ev Weiss of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, places the erection of the theater sometime near the end of the 1st century CE. The rule of Herod the Great had ushered in an age of theater building in Israel. Herod built theaters in Jerusalem, Sabaste, and Caesarea in order to appease his lord Augustus, as well as promote the spread of greco-Roman cultural values into Israel (Batey 1991). The 4000 seat theater in Sepphoris, although constructed later than the time of Herod the Great or even Herod Antipas, still represents a rooting of Greco-Roman culture in Sepphoris.

The Dionysiac building on the east side of the acropolis further illustrates this Greco-Roman influence by demonstrating a prolonged infiltration of culture. This structure, measuring 45 x 23 m., was built in the beginning of the 3rd century CE. Fifteen mosaic floor panels depictig various scenes from the life of Dionysos and his cult decorate the floor, scenes conspicuously identified by Greek inscriptions, made according to the emblem tradition. The cultural mixing therefore did not stop with the introduction of the theater in 2nd century CE, but continued on into the following centuries. The continued use of Greco-Roman architecture shows a permanent internalization of foreign symbolism by the residents of Sepphoris.

These Hellenic images by no means destroyed the native symbology of the Jews. Synagogues and miqua'oths, which Freyne and Miller suggest were overt political statements of Jewish power (Freyne 1996; Miller 1984), existed frequently alongside pagan buildings in Sepphoris. Numismatic evidence helps illustrate the coexistence of pagan and Jewish symbol structures. After the quelling of the jewish revolt in 70 CE, the Romans issued a huge number of coins to commemorate the defeat of the Jews. The Romans not only destroyed Jerusalem, but disseminated currency designed to totally strip the Jews of the cultural autonomy. One of the characteristic coins of this series depicts a Roman soldier standing over a weeping Jewish woman near a palm tree (a common symbol of Judea). On the coin is the caption "JUDEA CAPTA." Coins struck during this period in Sepphoris, however, often portrayed Jewish symbols such as the palm tree and ears of barley in a positive light. Sepphoris was allowed to mint such coins, and to retain its Jewish culture solely because of its capitulation to the Romans after the fall of Jotapata. This valuable alliance is exemplified by the coins minted in Sepphoris in 68 CE, issued approximately the same time as the "JUDEA CAPTA" coins, that bear the names of Vespasian and Nero, while referring to sepphoris as Eirenopolis, or the city of peace. This is no doubt a result of alliance of Sepphoris with the Romans (Overman 1993).....