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Huqoq

Huqoq

click on image to explore this site on a new tab in govmap.gov.il


Names
Transliterated Name Source Name
Huqoq, Hukkok Hebrew חוקוק
Hucuca Hebrew
Yaquq Arabic ياقوق
Introduction
ChatGPT Introduction

Huqoq is a multi-period hilltop site in the Lower Galilee, northwest of the Sea of Galilee and just west of Wadi ʿAmud. A perennial spring at the foot of the mound supported a large agricultural village through the Iron Age, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, with later occupation in the early Islamic and medieval eras. The ancient place-name is attested in the Hebrew Bible and the site is commonly identified with later Yaquq on the same ridge.([Wikipedia][1])

Since 2011, excavations led by Jodi Magness with the Israel Antiquities Authority have exposed a late Roman/Byzantine synagogue notable for its high-quality limestone architecture and exceptionally rich mosaic pavements. The pictorial program—featuring biblical scenes such as Samson, as well as unique historical or allegorical panels—offers a window into Jewish art and communal life in the Galilee around the fifth century CE. Field seasons and interim reports confirm continued discoveries alongside conservation work on the mosaic floors.([UNC News][2])

The broader village includes rock-cut tombs, agricultural installations, wine and olive presses, and ritual baths (miqwaʾot) on the site’s periphery, reflecting prosperity tied to local resources and regional networks. These features, together with the synagogue’s scale and artistry, mark Huqoq as a prominent Jewish community in late antiquity’s Galilee.([Biblical Archaeology Society][3])

Refrences

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huqoq?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Huqoq"

[2]: https://uncnews.unc.edu/2023/07/10/carolina-led-archaeological-dig-in-galilee-uncovers-mosaics-of-samson-and-commemorative-inscriptions/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Carolina-led archaeological dig in Galilee uncovers mosaics ..."

[3]: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BAR-MJ19-Huqoq.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Inside the Huqoq Synagogue"

Maps, Aerial Views, Plans, and Photos
Maps, Aerial Views, Plans, and Photos

Maps

Normal Size

  • Fig. 1 Map of the Galilee
    Figure 1

    Map of the Galilee

    (Prepared by R. Mohr; base map courtesy of NordNordWest)

    CC BY-SA 3.0

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Magness et al. (2018)
    from Magness et al. (2018)

Magnified

  • Fig. 1 Map of the Galilee
    Figure 1

    Map of the Galilee

    (Prepared by R. Mohr; base map courtesy of NordNordWest)

    CC BY-SA 3.0

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Magness et al. (2018)
    from Magness et al. (2018)

Aerial Views

  • Huqoq in Google Earth
    Huqoq in Google Earth

    click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth
  • Huqoq on govmap.gov.il
    Huqoq

    click on image to explore this site on a new tab in govmap.gov.il

Plans

Area Plans

Area 2000 - Synagogue

Normal Size

  • Fig. 1 Phase 2 Synagogue
    Figure 1

    Aerial view of the Ḥuqoq synagogue. The original late Roman synagogue is outlined in beige, whereas the expansion of the Phase-2 synagogue to the south and west is outlined in grey

    (courtesy of Jodi Magness, Ḥuqoq Excavation Project; photo: Jim Haberman)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Weiss (2025)
    expansion overlaid on aerial view of Late Roman Synagogue from Weiss (2025)
  • Fig. 2 Aerial view of
    Figure 2

    Aerial view of the Phase-2 synagogue at Ḥuqoq. Several deep pits and silos cut through earlier layers inside the synagogue and along its exterior walls, sometimes even beneath the mosaic of the late Roman synagogue. Remains of later buildings were also uncovered in the southern part of the synagogue

    (courtesy of Jodi Magness, Ḥuqoq Excavation Project; photo: Jim Haberman)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Weiss (2025)
    Phase-2 synagogue from Weiss (2025)

Magnified

  • Fig. 1 Phase 2 Synagogue
    Figure 1

    Aerial view of the Ḥuqoq synagogue. The original late Roman synagogue is outlined in beige, whereas the expansion of the Phase-2 synagogue to the south and west is outlined in grey

    (courtesy of Jodi Magness, Ḥuqoq Excavation Project; photo: Jim Haberman)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Weiss (2025)
    expansion overlaid on aerial view of Late Roman Synagogue from Weiss (2025)
  • Fig. 2 Aerial view of
    Figure 2

    Aerial view of the Phase-2 synagogue at Ḥuqoq. Several deep pits and silos cut through earlier layers inside the synagogue and along its exterior walls, sometimes even beneath the mosaic of the late Roman synagogue. Remains of later buildings were also uncovered in the southern part of the synagogue

    (courtesy of Jodi Magness, Ḥuqoq Excavation Project; photo: Jim Haberman)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Weiss (2025)
    Phase-2 synagogue from Weiss (2025)

Area 2000

Normal Size

  • Fig. 3 Plan of Area 2000
    Figure 3

    Plan of Area 2000

    (Prepared by S. Pirsky; courtesy of the Huqoq Excavation Project)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Magness et al. (2018)
    from Magness et al. (2018)

Magnified

  • Fig. 3 Plan of Area 2000
    Figure 3

    Plan of Area 2000

    (Prepared by S. Pirsky; courtesy of the Huqoq Excavation Project)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Magness et al. (2018)
    from Magness et al. (2018)

Photos

Normal Size

  • Fig. 22 reused architectural
    Figure 22

    Area 3000: reused architectural pieces from the Late Roman synagogue, some preserving their polychrome-painted plaster, under the medieval stylobate.

    (Photo by J. Haberman; courtesy of the Huqoq Excavation Project)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Magness et al. (2018)
    pieces from the Late Roman synagogue from Magness et al. (2018)

Magnified

  • Fig. 22 reused architectural
    Figure 22

    Area 3000: reused architectural pieces from the Late Roman synagogue, some preserving their polychrome-painted plaster, under the medieval stylobate.

    (Photo by J. Haberman; courtesy of the Huqoq Excavation Project)

    click on image to open in a new tab

    Magness et al. (2018)
    pieces from the Late Roman synagogue from Magness et al. (2018)

Archaeoseismic Chronology
Stratigraphy

Area 2000

Phase Period Date Description
1 Hellenistic — earlier walls likely dating to the Hellenistic period (W216 [Room 3], W221 [Room 9])
2 Late Roman–Byzantine late 4th/5th–6th c. CE late 4th/5th–6th-century CE construction and occupation of Units 1 and 2 (Rooms 1–4) and Rooms 7–9; the original construction phase of Rooms 5, 6, and 10
3 Late Byzantine to Early Islamic 6th c. CE (occupation to 9th–11th c. ?) abandonment of Units 1 and 2; a 6th-century construction phase in Rooms 5, 6, and 10, with occupation continuing until the Early Islamic period
4 Medieval 12th–13th c. CE 12th–13th-century walls (W201, W202, W220) constructed in Room 9

Area 3000

Stratum Period Date Description
1 Late Roman early 5th century CE The Late Roman synagogue was constructed in the early 5th century c.e., as indicated by the pottery and coins from the foundation trench of the east wall and radiocarbon dating of a charcoal sample from the bedding of the mosaic floor. We have not yet determined when or why the synagogue went out of use, although there are no signs of destruction by fire.
2 Medieval 12th–13th centuries CE In the 12th–13th centuries, a medieval public building reused and expanded the Late Roman synagogue. The medieval public building is dated by glazed potsherds found in subsurface fills and embedded in the thick, concrete-like makeup of the floor.
3 Late Medieval–Early Ottoman 13th–16th centuries CE After the medieval public building went out of use, it was robbed out and pitted, and scattered walls and installations were constructed over the course of the 13th–16th centuries.
4 Ottoman 18th–19th centuries CE In the 18th–19th centuries, this was an open area with numerous cooking installations (tabuns) associated with layers of ash and a few partition walls.
5 Late Ottoman–Modern late 19th – early 20th centuries CE In the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century, the area was built up with houses separated by a north–south alley.

Notes and Further Reading
References

Articles and Books

Weiss, Z. (2025) The renovation and rebuilding of synagogues in late antique Palestine: the synagogue at Ḥuqoq as a case in point , Levant - open access

Excavation Reports

Magness et al. (2018) The Huqoq Excavation Project: 2014–2017 Interim Report , BASOR 380 - open access

Websites

Huqoq Excavation Project at nationalgeographic.org

Huqoq Excavation Project at the University of North Carlina

Articles from Huqoq Excavation Project

Reports

 

PLOS One (Feb. 2025): Understanding the history of the late Roman synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee through radiocarbon dating and observations on site formation

American Journal of Numismatics 36 (2004): Robert Kool, “A Fifteenth-Century Gold and Silver Coin Hoard at Ḥuqoq/Yaquq,” American Journal of Numismatics 36 (2024) pp. 279–352.

Studies in Late Antiquity 8.4 (2024): “Samson in the Galilee—and Beyond: How New Mosaic Discoveries in the Huqoq Synagogue Have Revised What We Thought We Knew” (pp. 481–504).

Biblical Archaeology Review, Winter 2023: Warrior Women: Deborah and Yael Found at Huqoq (PDF)

2011–2018 Report: “The Ḥuqoq Synagogue Excavations: Report on the 2011–2018 Seasons,” in Lee I. Levine, Zeev Weiss, and Uzi Leibner (eds), Ancient Synagogues Revealed: 1981-2022 (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society), 48-65.

Levant: 16 August 2022: A Late Medieval Synagogue at Ḥuqoq/Yaquq in Galilee? 

Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 2019

 

 

BAR Article:  Inside the Huqoq Synagogue

BAR Article:  Artistic Influences in Synagogue Mosaics:  Putting the Huqoq Synagogue in Context

2014-2017 Preliminary Report

[Full resolution version of article available at https://unc.live/2zE1s3Z]

Qadmoniot 156 (2018)

Hadashot Arkheologiyot

The staff of the Huqoq Excavation Project has released a preliminary report each year through the Israel Antiquities Authority Publication Hadashot Arkheologiyot.  To access these volumes on-line, please follow the links below

Huqoq 2011 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2012 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2013 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2014 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2015 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2016 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2017 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2018 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2019 Preliminary Report

Huqoq 2022 preliminary Report

Huqoq 2023 Preliminary Report

Other scholarly publications:

“Warrior Women: Deborah and Yael Found at Huqoq,” by Karen Britt and Ra’anan Boustan – Biblical Archaeology Review (Winter 2023)

“Scenes in Stones: Newly Discovered Mosaics from the North Aisle in the Huqoq Synagogue,” Studies in Late Antiquity 5.4 (509-579) by Karen Britt and Ra’anan Boustan, 2022

Cornerstone (Arabic), 2021

Karen Britt and Ra̒anan Boustan.  The Elephant Mosaic Panel in the Synagogue at Huqoq: Official Publication and Initial Interpretations. Supplement 106 in the Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series. 2017.

M. J. Grey and C. S. Spigel, “Huqoq in the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman Periods,” in D. A. Fiensy and J. R. Strange (eds.),Galilee in the Late Second Temple and Mishnaic Periods, Volume 2, The Archaeological Record from Cities, Towns, and Villages (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015), pp. 362-378.

M. J. Grey and C. S. Spigel, “News from the Field: Huqoq Excavation Project, Part I,” Bible Odyssey (2015) online at http://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/places/related-articles/huqoq-excavation.aspx.

J. Magness, S. Kisilevitz, K. Britt, M. Grey, and C. Spigel, “Huqoq (Lower Galilee) and Its Synagogue Mosaics: Preliminary Report on the Excavations of 2011-2013,” Journal of Roman Archaeology 27 (2014), pp. 327-355.

J. Magness, S. Kisilevitz, M. Grey, C. Spigel, B. Coussens, and K. Britt, “Huqoq 2013,” Excavations and Surveys in Israel (Hadashot Arkheologiyot) 126 (2014), at  http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?id=12648.

J. Magness, “Burning Foxes in the Vineyards of Huqoq,” Et-mol 234 (2014), pp. 2-4 (in Hebrew).

“Huqoq (Lower Galilee) and its synagogue mosaics: preliminary report on the excavations of 2011-2013” (Magness, et. al.) – Journal of Roman Archaeology

M. J. Grey and J. Magness, “Finding Samson in Byzantine Galilee: The 2011-2012 Archaeological Excavations at Huqoq,” Studies in Bible and Antiquity 5 (2013), pp. 1-30.

D. Amit, “Mosaic Inscription from a Synagogue at Horvat Huqoq,” Biblical Archaeology Review (2013), posted at http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/mosaic-inscription-from-a-synagogue-at-horvat-huqoq/

J.Magness, S. Kisilevitz, M. Grey, C. Spigel, and B. Coussens, “Huqoq – 2012,” in Excavations and Surveys in Israel (Hadashot Arkheologiyot) 125 (2013), posted at http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=3331&mag_id=120

J. Magness, “New Mosaics from the Huqoq Synagogue,” Biblical Archaeology Review 39.5 (2013), 66-68 (http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=39&Issue=5&ArticleID=9).

J.Magness, “Spätantike Mosaiken in Huqoq entdeckt,” Antike Welt 5 (2012), p. 6.

J. Magness, “Huqoq – 2011,” in Excavations and Surveys in Israel (Hadashot Arkheologiyot) 124 (2012), posted at http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.asp?id=1959&mag_id=119.

“Finding Samson in Byzantine Galilee: The 2011-2012 Archaeological Excavations at Huqoq” (Matthew J. Grey and Jodi Magness) – Studies in the Bible and Antiquity

“‘The Redeemer to Arise from the House of Dan’: Samson, Apocalypticism, and Messianic Hopes in Late Antique Galilee” (Matthew J. Grey) – Journal for the Study of Judaism

“New Huqoq Mosaics: Huqoq Synagogue in Israel Reveals Additional Depictions of Samson in the Bible” – Biblical Archaeology Review

“Scholar’s Update: New Mosaics from the Huqoq Synagogue” (Jodi Magness) – Biblical Archaeology Review

Wikipedia pages

Huqoq



Yaquq (de-populated Palestinian Village)



Hukok (modern Kibbutz)



Habakkuk