HUQOQ "Monumental synagogue building discovered in excavations in Galilee" UNC News Brief |
A monumental synagogue building dating to the Late Roman and Byzantine periods (ca. 4th to 6th centuries C.E.) has been discovered in archaeological excavations at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee.
The excavations are being conducted by Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and co-directed by David Amit and Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority, under the sponsorship of UNC, Brigham Young University in Utah, Trinity University in Texas, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Toronto in Canada, and the University of Wyoming. Students and staff from UNC and the consortium schools are participating in the dig.
Huqoq is an ancient Jewish village located approximately two to three miles west of Capernaum and Migdal (Magdala). This second season of excavations has revealed portions of a stunning mosaic floor decorating the interior of the synagogue building. The mosaic, which is made of tiny colored stone cubes of the highest quality, includes a scene depicting Samson placing torches between the tails of foxes (as related in the book of Judges 15). In another part of the mosaic, two human (apparently female) faces flank a circular medallion with a Hebrew inscription that refers to rewards for those who perform good deeds.
“This discovery is significant because only a small number of ancient (Late Roman) synagogue buildings are decorated with mosaics showing biblical scenes, and only two others have scenes with Samson (one is at another site just a couple of miles from Huqoq),” said Magness, the Kenan Distinguished Professor in the department of religious studies in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Our mosaics are also important because of their high artistic quality and the tiny size of the mosaic cubes. This, together with the monumental size of the stones used to construct the synagogue’s walls, suggest a high level of prosperity in this village, 
as the building clearly was very costly.”
Excavations are scheduled to continue in summer 2013.
Note: Magness can be reached at magness@email.unc.edu.
Photos: Jim Haberman
College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Spurr, (919) 962-4093, spurrk@email.unc.edu
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HUQOQ Opportunities |
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| JUMP INTO THE HUQOQ DIG WITH PROFESSOR MAGNESS AND HER TEAM. CLICK HERE OR ON JAR FOR APPLICATION. |
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| LINKS TO THE STORY: Media Line MSNBC EPOC - Spektrum der Wissenschaft UNC announcement |
Huqoq News - 2011 Season
One of the most exciting discoveries of the 2011 season are the remains of the eastern wall of a synagogue building of the Roman-Byzantine period (we did not yet reach the original floor level of the building and therefore do not yet know its exact date). Notice the large size of the stones in the wall (on which Dr. Magness is standing), which suggest a more monumental structure than we would have expected in a village. We will continue uncovering more of the synagogue in June 2012.
| ALL PHOTOS BY AND © JIM HABERMAN UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED |
 In addition to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the excavations at Huqoq are sponsored by the following consortium members: |
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| Brigham Young Univ. |
Trinity University (TX) |
University of Oklahoma |
University of Toronto (CAN) |
University of Wyoming |
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