CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA—New images of the spectacular mosaics discovered in the early fifth-century A.D. synagogue of Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee region have just been released, according to The Times of Israel. The highly detailed and brightly colored mosaics depict popular religious stories including the tale of Noah’s Ark, the parting of the Red Sea, and Jonah and the Whale, as well as a remarkable scene of the building of the Tower of Babel. Archaeologist Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill originally set out to clarify misunderstandings about the dating of synagogues in this region. She says she has done this to her satisfaction, and notes that the mosaics were an unexpected surprise that are providing many new insights into the period. Magness says, “The synagogue just keeps producing mosaics that there’s just nothing like and is enriching our understanding of the Judaism of the period.” To see images of the extraordinary mosaics of the Turkish city of Zeugma, go to “Mosaic Masters.”
