Ancient synagogues weren’t just places of prayer—they were also filled with stunning mosaics and wall paintings that reimagined biblical stories in surprising ways. These artworks don’t just illustrate the text; they interpret it, often in ways that echo midrashic literature like Genesis Rabbah. In this class, we’ll explore these fascinating depictions, uncover the influences that may have shaped the artists’ choices, and dive into the ongoing debate about the role of rabbis in ancient Jewish society.

This class is perfect for anyone curious about ancient synagogues, Jewish art, or the rich world of midrashic storytelling.

Professor Uzi Leibner is an archaeologist who specializes in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods in the Southern Levant. He is currently the head of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research interests lie in landscape archaeology, rural settlements, ancient synagogues, ancient Jewish art, and the integration of archaeological material and historical sources. He conducted field work in the Galilee for over two decades. His major previous projects were the Eastern Galilee Survey; excavations at the Roman-period village and synagogue of Khirbet Wadi el-Ḥamam in the Eastern Lower Galilee; and the Hellenistic Galilee Project, which dealt with the ethnicity, material culture and settlement patterns in the Galilee during the Hellenistic period and was based on excavations at Khirbet el-‘Eika, accompanied by a survey of Hellenistic-period sites across the Lower Galilee. He has recently moved to work on Second Temple period Jerusalem and is co-directing the ongoing Hebrew University Temple Mount Excavations at the Ophel (with Orit Peleg-Barkat), concentrating on the Archaeology of Pilgrimage.