It isn’t often that one discovers Israeli art depicting female heroines. In the small town of Huqoq the only known example of some Biblical stories depicting famous women was discovered in Mosaic form:
Archeologists working at a dig in the Galilean town of Huqoq have uncovered the earliest known depictions of the biblical heroines Deborah and Yael, in mosaics that are thought to be nearly 1,600 years old. source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/earliest-known-depictions-of-deborah-yael-revealed-at-5th-century-galilee-synagogue/
The article continues with some important details concerning the nature of these Mosaics:
Archeologists working at a dig in the Galilean town of Huqoq have uncovered the earliest known depictions of the biblical heroines Deborah and Yael, in mosaics that are thought to be nearly 1,600 years old.
The find, announced by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Prof. Jodi Magness on Tuesday, joins a growing collection of ancient mosaics discovered over the past decade at the site of a former synagogue in the Lower Galilee.
Magness, a professor of religious studies at the university, has overseen a team of students and archeologists excavating the area for more than 10 years. Excavations at the site restarted earlier this year after they were halted for close to three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mosaics depict the biblical story in the Book of Judges when the prophetess Deborah told the Israelite military leader Barak to mobilize the troops of Naftali and Zevulun to fight against Canaan, whose forces were led by Sisera. Barak said he would only go to battle if Deborah joined him, and Deborah in turn prophesied that a woman would defeat Sisera’s army. Sisera, fleeing flooding, sought refuge in the tent of Yael, who drove a tent peg through his head, killing him.
“This is the first depiction of this episode and the first time we’ve seen a depiction of the biblical heroines Deborah and Yael in ancient Jewish art,” Magness said in a statement from the university. “Looking at the book of Joshua, chapter 19, we can see how the story might have had special resonance for the Jewish community at Huqoq, as it is described as taking place in the same geographical region — the territory of the tribes of Naftali and Zevulun.”
According to the university, the three-part mosaic shows Deborah looking at Barak in the first portion; Sisera seated in the middle section, of which only a small portion is preserved; and Sisera lying dead on the ground after Yael killed him in the bottom section. UNC-Chapel Hill only released photos showing Barak depicted in the mosaic; it is unclear how well preserved the images of the two women are.
The team working at the ancient synagogue, which was built in the late fourth-early fifth century CE, also uncovered a mosaic depicting vases holding sprouting vines with four animals eating clusters of grapes: a hare, a fox, a leopard and a wild boar.
All of the newest mosaics have been removed from the site for conservation, the university said. Source: Ibid.
It is ironic that the mosaics have been removed for conservation considering they have been conserved where they are for such an extended time. Where the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill conserved these finds is not clear from the article.
What is clear, however, is that Huqoq translates to “engraver; scribe; or lawyer.” source: https://izithakazelo.blog/hukkok-meaning-what-does-hukkok-mean/ If a mosaic counts as an engraving, then it is clear the the people who lived here anciently felt it important to make sure some form of commemorative art would remain through the ages as a testimony to the Biblical heroines.