“New Discoveries in the Ancient Synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee” will be the subject of Professor Jodi Magness on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. at the Bruce Museum. Sponsored by the Archaeological Associates of Greenwich (AAG), the lecture is free to AAG, museum members, students with ID, and $15 to the public.
Since 2011, Professor Jodi Magness has been the director of the late Roman (5th century) dig site at the ancient village of Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee. The excavations have brought to light the remains of a monumental synagogue building that is paved with unique mosaics, including depictions of the biblical hero Samson and the first non-biblical scene ever discovered decorating an ancient synagogue. In her presentation she will include the exciting finds that were found this past summer.
Jodi Magness holds a senior endowed chair in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism. She has published 10 books, most recently The Archaeology of the Holy Land from the Destruction of Solomon’s Temple to the Muslim Conquest. In 2008 she received the Archaeological Institute of America (A.I.A.) award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. In 2014, Magness was elected first vice president of the Archaeological Institute of America. She will follow Professor Andrew Moore (an AAG speaker) as President of the A.I.A in 2017. She received her Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania.
