Elephant in the synagogue: Iconography in thriving post-Temple community raises questions

How can these discoveries be reconciled with the widespread view that the post-Temple remnant of Jews in the Holy Land was insignificant and subject to oppression by the Romans?

A synagogue mosaic at the Huqoq site depicts an elephant alongside other soldiers and war animals, as well as an elder holding a scroll surrounded by young men with sheathed swords.

(photo credit: JIM HABERMAN)

ByJACOB SIVAK

APRIL 12, 2025 10:40

Elephant in the synagogue: Iconography in thriving post-Temple community raises questions

How can these discoveries be reconciled with the widespread view that the post-Temple remnant of Jews in the Holy Land was insignificant and subject to oppression by the Romans?

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Elephant in the synagogue: Iconography in thriving post-Temple community raises questions

How can these discoveries be reconciled with the widespread view that the post-Temple remnant of Jews in the Holy Land was insignificant and subject to oppression by the Romans?

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