Samson in the Galilee—and Beyond: How New Mosaic Discoveries in the Huqoq Synagogue Have Revised What We Thought We Knew

The authors of the present essay have been working together since 2014 to publish the mosaics from the late Roman synagogue in the village of Huqoq in eastern Lower Galilee. The final season of active excavation in summer 2023 has prompted us to reflect on how the task of interpreting the Huqoq mosaics has been informed by and has responded to ongoing excavation at the site. We focus here on the mosaic that depicts the exploits of the biblical figure Samson, emphasizing the serendipitous nature of the sequence and pace of discovery and how these factors shaped our analysis and interpretation of the mosaic fragments. The story of this discovery offers a cautionary tale, demonstrating the dangers of cordoning off the study of synagogue art from its wider contexts. We argue that an air of exceptionalism surrounds the study of ancient synagogues in Israel. Methodologies that constrain the scope of research to conform to fixed ideas about social, cultural, and religious boundaries end up offering sterile interpretations of material that is better viewed in dynamic and open-ended terms. The Huqoq mosaics have demonstrated, again and again, the interconnectedness of Mediterranean visual culture.