Ancient Jewish revolt-era ‘safe rooms’ revealed in the Galilee
Community excavation of Huqoq village carried out with the aid of volunteers and schools; 2,000-year-old finds at site to open to the public March 29 and April 5
Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
Archaeological work at an ancient Jewish site near the Sea of Galilee has revealed a complex of underground bolt holes that were likely used by Jewish villagers during revolts against Roman rule, some 2,000 years ago.
The ongoing excavation of “the most extensive hiding complex discovered to date in the Galilee” has revealed “about eight hiding cavities” with “connecting tunnels… dug at 90 degrees, to hamper the heavily armed Roman soldiers chasing the rebels,” the Israel Antiques Authority said in a Monday statement announcing the find.
The underground cavities in some cases had tunnels connected directly to the community mikveh or houses in the village, and one hiding space was created out of a converted Second Temple-era water cistern.
The cavities were found to contain hundreds of broken ceramic and glass dishes, utensils, traces of non-perishable food and other small artifacts, including a ring with the central stone missing.
The areas “weren’t for living, they were like small, underground bomb shelters,” said Prof. Yinon Shivtiel of the Zefat Academic College, one of the excavation directors.
Speaking to The Times of Israel by phone from the dig site, he explained that during the period of the First Jewish Revolt, also known as the First Jewish-Roman War (66-70 CE), and during the Bar Kochba Revolt (132-136 CE), Jews could hide out underground or conceal certain people or items when Roman patrols were in the area.
“The discovery of the hiding complex can also contribute to a decades-long debate among researchers on whether the Bar Kochba Revolt reached the Galilee or remained within the confines of Judea and central Israel,” as the archaeologists “date the inner parts of the hiding complex to the days of the outbreak of the Second Revolt and consider that several of the ancient facilities were first in use during the First Revolt,” the IAA said in its announcement.
“We know from [the Roman-era historian] Josephus that the First Jewish Revolt was in the area,” Shivtiel explained, “but we don’t have evidence that the Bar Kochba revolt was active in the Galilee.” The findings in the cavities indicate the caves were “clearly in use” during the First Revolt, matching Josephus, he continues.
There is now some archaeological evidence that the Bar Kochba revolt was also active in the Galilee based on the small artifacts and remnants found at Huqoq, Shivtiel said.
“We can’t say that the Bar Kochba revolt was here physically, but the hiding complex was for sure involved in the preparations,” he said.
“In the Galilee there are 83 underground shelters, found in most of the Jewish settlements from the Second Temple period. Huqoq is the largest and most impressive. In all of them, we found pottery that testifies to the presence of Jews during the revolts against the Romans,” he added.
Asked about the purpose of the shelters in relation to the current conflict in Gaza, Shivtiel stressed that “there is a big difference between Hamas tunnels and these hiding complexes — it’s impossible to compare. They weren’t used for combat… If you go into them, they are just like underground mamadim,” he said, using the contemporary Hebrew word for “safe rooms.”
The archaeological work at Huqoq involved “students, local residents and soldiers who participated over the past few months,” the IAA said. This “community excavation” brings together “students studying the Land of Israel and archaeology, students from the Zefat Academic College, volunteers from the Israel Cavers Club, local volunteers, and even soldiers from the IDF Samur Unit of underground operations, who utilize their skills for this important goal,” said Dr. Einat Ambar-Armon of the IAA.
The First Jewish Revolt and the Bar Kochba Revolt were nationalist rebellions aimed at wresting Judean sovereignty from the Romans, but both ended in defeat for the Jewish forces. The destruction of the Second Temple occurred in 70 CE at the end of the First Jewish Revolt, and the later Bar Kochba Revolt resulted in major Roman suppression of Jewish religious life in the region, including a ban on Jews living in the Jerusalem area.
Nevertheless, Huqoq persisted as a Jewish town and is mentioned in the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, both compiled centuries later. A Byzantine-era synagogue with an impressive and distinct mosaic floor, located on a nearby hilltop, was excavated in 2011. The site is a few kilometers north of Tiberias with a striking view of the Sea of Galilee.
The presence of the synagogue and other finds that show a continuity of Jewish presence at Huqoq gives “a bit of perspective,” said the IAA’s Uri Berger, the other excavation director.
“It’s a long-term human story. We see times of routine and peace, and also otherwise, but people live their lives. We can see from the ancient synagogue here that they continued a communal Jewish life here in the Galilee, even after a time of danger,” he added in a phone call.
He is in the middle of showing a group of schoolchildren around the site, he explained, noting that the volunteers had recently found another opening to a newly discovered underground shelter.
The communal aspect of the dig “is a great experience,” he said, noting that while working directly underground is “only for experts, we bring out the earth and the volunteers sift through it. Every day we have surprises.”
The IAA has invited the general public to visit and experience the Huqoq site on two upcoming Fridays: March 29 and April 5, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is no charge but participants must register at the authority’s website.
