Huqoq

Religion: Jewish

Archaeological Evidences:

Period: Late Roman and/or Byzantine
Excavation: Excavated
Excavators: Jodi Magness (2011-2023).
Main Finds: Highly decorative mosaic with depictions of Samson and other scenes. Aramaic inscription.
Inscriptions: Hebrew (Amit 2013; Magness et. al. 2019; Boustan and Britt 2021; CIIP V/1: 407-418), Hebrew or Aramaic (Boustan and Britt 2021, CIIP V/1: 414-415), Aramaic (Boustan and Britt 2021, CIIP V/1: 418-419).
Mosaics: Yes
Site Condition: Active excavation
Samson carrying the Gate of Gaza, courtesy of Judi Magness

Geographic Details

Geographical Region: Lower Galilee

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Selected Bibliography:

Selected Bibliography
  1. Magness, J. "The Huqoq Synagogue. A Regional Variant of the Galilean Type" in The Synagogue in Ancient Palestine: Current Issues and Emerging Trends. ed. R. Bonnie, R. Hakola & U. Tervahauta, Helsinki, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, 2020: 155-174.
  2. Weiss, Z. "The Renovation and Rebuilding of Synagogues in Late Antique Palestine: The Synagogue at Ḥuqoq as a Case in Point" Levant 2025.
  3. Mizzi, D. , Schindler, D. and Chazan, M. "Understanding the History of the Late Roman Synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee Through Radiocarbon Dating and Observations on Site Formation" PLoS ONE 20(2), 2025.
  4. Price, J. J. "Ḥuqoq" in Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. ed. W. Ameling et. al., V/Part 1: Galilaea and Northern Regions, Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, 2023: 407-420.
  5. Magness, J. , Mizzi, D. and Burney, J. "Huqoq – 2023: Preliminary Report" Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel 136, 2024.
  6. Britt, K. and Boustan, R. "War and Peace in the Elephant Mosaic from Huqoq: Synagogue Art, Classical Historiography, and Roman Imperial Monuments" Mediterranean Studies 31 (2), 2023: 139–179.
  7. O'Connell, S. "Two Phases of the Polychrome Plaster of the Ḥuqoq Synagogue" in Pushing Sacred Boundaries in Early Judaism and the Ancient Mediterranean: Essays in Honor of Jodi Magness. ed. D. Mizzi, T. Rassalle and M. J. Grey, Leiden, Brill, 2023: 621-646.
  8. Magness, J. , Kisilevitz, S. and Mizzi, D. "The Ḥuqoq Synagogue Excavations: Report on the 2011–2018 Seasons" in Ancient Synagogues Revealed: 1981-2022. ed. L. I. Levine, Z. Weiss, U. Leibner, Jerusalem, Israel Exploration Society, 2023: 48-65.
  9. Mizzi, D. and Magness, J. "A Late Medieval Synagogue at Ḥuqoq/Yaquq in Galilee?" Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant 54(2), 2022: 257-276.
  10. Yoskovich, A. "The “Elephant Mosaic” Panel from the Huqoq Synagogue: Ehud Ben Gera in Jewish-Galilean Traditions" Journal for the Study of Judaism 52(2), 2021: 257-258.
Bibliographic citation of this page
Ben David, C. Osband, M. Aviam, M. Site: ‘Synagogues.Kinneret.ac.il’, The Bornblum Eretz Israel Website for the Study of Ancient Synagogues, accessed on 18 June 2026, https://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/huqoq/

Photos:

Photos
Mosaic of Samson and the foxes, courtesy of Judi Magness © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Mosaic of Samson and the foxes, courtesy of Judi Magness
Samson carrying the Gate of Gaza, courtesy of Judi Magness © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Samson carrying the Gate of Gaza, courtesy of Judi Magness
Mosaic with female face and inscription, photo by Jim Haberman, courtesy of Judi Magness © <i> synagogues.kinneret.ac.il </i>
Mosaic with female face and inscription, photo by Jim Haberman, courtesy of Judi Magness

Plans and Drawings:

Plans

Links: