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

Jerusalem Post - 12/04
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?

Elephants are not native to Israel or its surroundings, so it is not surprising that the Hebrew Bible does not mention them. However, a recently excavated archaeological site at Huqoq in the Galilee, 12.5 kilometers northwest of Tiberias, includes a magnificent 5th-century finely detailed mosaic synagogue floor that clearly displays a scene with an elephant. How can the presence of figural synagogue art be reconciled with the second commandment forbidding graven images?

Huqoq is the site of a an extensive project (2011-2023) involving multiple academic centers under the leadership of Jodi Magness, a professor at the University of North Carolina. The mosaics survived because they were protected by a 14th-century synagogue built on top. 

The mosaics depict a wide range of biblical scenes, such as Samson carrying the gate of Gaza on his shoulders; a panel depicting the spies sent by Moses to explore Canaan, carrying a pole with a cluster of grapes; and Jonah swallowed by three successive fish. Non-biblical depictions include a complete Helios-zodiac cycle, as well as the scene with an elepha...
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