|Synagogue building discovered in excavations in Galilee|
|Monday, July 02, 2012|
A monumental synagogue building dating to the late Roman and Byzantine periods has been discovered in archaeological excavations at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village, in Israel’s Galilee.
The excavations 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. Sponsor are UNC, Brigham Young and Trinity universities, as well as the universities of Oklahoma and Toronto. Students and staff from UNC and the consortium schools are participating in the dig.
Recent excavations revealed portions of a stunning mosaic floor decorating the interior of the synagogue building. The mosaic, made of tiny colored high-quality stone cubes, includes a scene depicting Samson placing torches between the tails of foxes (as related in the Bible’s Book of Judges). 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.
Excavations are scheduled to continue in summer 2013.