Name evolution

The name Huqoq is mentioned in the bible (Book of Joshua, Books of Chronicles) as a Jewish settlement that kept on existing during the Roman period, it was also known then as Hucuca.^[2][3] During the Ottoman period there was an Arab village named Yaquq.^[4] built on the ancient ruins

Archaeological and historical periods

Archaeological investigations at the site of the former village of Yaquq, located near the Sea of Galilee, 12.5 km north of Tiberias, uphill from Capernaum and Magdala,^[5] suggest that the site was inhabited in the Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Abbasid, Fatimid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods.^[6][7] The Arab village of Yakuk was abandoned during the 1948 war and was bulldozed in 1968.^[8]

In the Hebrew Bible (Book of Joshua)

Hukkok (Hebrew חקק) is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Joshua 19:34.^[9][10] The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia considers the identification of Hukkok with Yakuk as plausible, although it might be too far from Aznoth-tabor (possibly Khirbet el-Jebeil, c. 3 miles north of Mount Tabor) to fit the description.^[10]

Bronze Age

The village site was inhabited in the Early and Middle Bronze Age.^[9]

Roman and Byzantine periods

The Roman-period village was large and prosperous due to the presence of a constant spring.^[7] It is apparent from both the synagogue and the absence of pig bones that the Roman period village was Jewish.^[5]

"The most extensive hiding complex discovered to date in the Galilee" has been announced in March 2024.^[11] There are some eight hiding cavities with more ramifications being discovered, connected by tunnels set at straight angles to slow down Roman soldiers hunting for Jewish rebels.^[11] The hiding complex dates back to the First Jewish-Roman War (66-70 CE) and the Bar Kochba Revolt (132-136 CE), and could only serve for short-term concealment from Roman patrols due to the small size of the chambers.^[11] Most of the numerous finds attest to the use of the underground system during the First Revolt, and while there is no proof yet for the Bar Kochba Revolt actually spreading out to Galilee, a small number of artifacts found in this complex show that it was "involved in the preparations" for the uprising.^[11] The refuge system was revealed through community excavations with the participation of local residents, students enrolled in archaeology and Land of Israel studies, volunteers from a cavers club, and soldiers from the IDF's Samur Unit for underground operations.^[11]

The village is attested in Late Roman and Byzantine period rabbinic sources.^[7] Archaeological findings as well as the mention of Huqoq in both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud prove that the Jewish village survived the Bar Kochba Revolt.^[11]

Ottoman period

The prosperity of the ancient village contrasts with the simplicity of the Ottoman-era settlement and can be seen by archaeologists in animal bones which were cut by professional butchers in the ancient Jewish village, and by farmers in the Muslim period.^[5]

Ancient synagogue

Among the structures uncovered during the 2012 dig were the remains of an elaborate synagogue,^[12] dated to the 5th century.^[13] Findings include limestone carvings and an elaborate floor mosaic.^[14] The synagogue's walls and columns were painted in bright colors: plaster fragments show traces of pink, red, orange and white pigments.^[15] The artistry of the mosaic, which is composed of tiny tiles, together with the large stones used for the walls, attests to the prosperity of the village.^[16]