The Galilean Type Synagogue at Huqoq, Israel
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
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Burney, Jocelyn
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religious Studies
- Abstract
- One of the most exciting aspects of archaeology is the power of a single discovery to challenge and redirect the field. For the last three years, I have been fortunate to witness this process while working on the excavations at the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq, Israel. Since 2012, the excavation team has uncovered high-quality mosaics in the east aisle of the village synagogue depicting scenes from the life of Samson, a dedicatory inscription, and a panel that may depict scenes from the books of Maccabees. In this thesis, I survey the ways that these discoveries may affect the future study of ancient synagogues, Jewish art, and Jewish society in late antique Galilee generally. I have chosen to focus on two main topics. Chapter II discusses the similarities between the Huqoq synagogue and the synagogues at Horvat ‘Ammudim, Meroth, and Wadi Hamam, three other Galilean type synagogues that also contain mosaic floors. Scholars previously believed that Galilean synagogues were built in the second and third centuries CE and did not contain mosaics, a feature that emerged in the fourth century. These four synagogues confirm that Galilean type synagogues were built after the third century and contained mosaics. I propose that there likely are more synagogues with similar features in the regions of Lower and Upper Eastern Galilee. Chapter III discusses the imagery of the Huqoq mosaics, which offer insight into the apocalyptic and messianic beliefs of Jewish communities in late antique Galilee. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the role of mosaics within synagogues, a subject on which there is little scholarly consensus. I propose that the purpose of synagogue mosaics should be reconsidered in light of the redating of Galilean type synagogues. It is now apparent that many Galilean type synagogues that do not contain mosaic floors, such as Capernaum, Chorazin, and Nabratein, were contemporary to other synagogues that did contain mosaics, indicating that not all Jewish communities viewed mosaics as a necessary feature for a synagogue or a part of synagogue activity.
- Date of publication
- spring 2014
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: Carolina Center for Jewish Studies, Office of Undergraduate Research
- Advisor
- Magness, Jodi
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
- Honors level
- Highest Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 73
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