(Israel Antiquities Authority)
The excavations in Huqoq are being conducted by Jodi Magness of the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and 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 and
the University of Toronto in Canada. 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.
Section of mosaic floor uncovered at Huqoq (Photo: Jim Haberman)
"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.