Jodi Magness profiled

THE DAILY TAR HEEL: UNC Professor Jodi Magness has led an excavation of an ancient synagogue for over a decade. The archaeological site is located in Huqoq, Israel, and offers an unexpected trove of preserved mosaics (Sam Stavchancsky).

Across the world from Chapel Hill, hidden mosaics in an ancient synagogue in Huqoq, Israel, now sit at the forefront of a new project led by UNC professor and archaeologist Jodi Magness.

Magness, the Kenan distinguished professor for teaching excellence in early Judaism at UNC, serves as the archaeological consultant for the next phase of development for the Huqoq site, an excavation she led from 2011 to 2023.

Magness said she first came to Huqoq — a historic site just north of the Sea of Galilee, which previously was a Jewish village — to answer research questions surrounding Jewish settlements under Roman Christian rule. She said there were signs that a synagogue was in the area, and her team succeeded in finding and excavating one.

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For many PaleoJudaica posts on Professor Magness and her wide-ranging work, including the remarkable Huqoq excavation, see here and links, plus here, here, and here.

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