What's Bill Clinton's Image Doing in Ancient Jewish Village?

Hmmm, and he's dressed up like Samson, too (as in "Samson and Delilah - yeah, that Delilah...)

Bill Clinton!  What the heck are you doing in Byzantine Israel?

Ancient Mosaic Depicting Fiery Bible Story Discovered

By Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer | LiveScience.com – Mon, Jul 2, 2012

A glittering mosaic of colored stones once decorated an ancient synagogue floor with scenes of the Biblical hero Samson getting revenge on the Philistines.

This newly excavated discovery in the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq not only depicts an unusual scene — Samson tying torches to foxes' tails in order to burn his enemies' crops — it's also remarkably high-quality, said dig archaeologist Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

In a mosaic, "the smaller the cubes, the finer the work," Magness told LiveScience. "Our cubes are very small and fine."

The mosaic decorates part of a synagogue dating back to about A.D. 400 to 500. So far, Magness and her team have excavated only part of the eastern wall of the structure, so they don't yet know how big the synagogue was. But the building appears to be made of large, "beautifully cut" blocks of stone, Magness said, suggesting an expansive structure.

The mosaic, which is incomplete, depicts several scenes. In one, two female faces flank a Hebrew inscription about rewards for people who perform good deeds. In the other, Samson, of the biblical story Samson and Delilah, ties torches to pairs of foxes, an event described in the Book of Judges in both the Christian and Hebrew Bibles. As the story goes, Samson falls in love with a woman of Philistine origin, a people who ruled the city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath in the ancient Middle East. The Philistines are depicted as enemies of the Israelis in the Bible.

At his wedding feast with his Philistine bride, Samson taunts the Philistine groomsmen with a riddle they cannot possibly answer. [In other words, Samson is a real schmuck.] When his bride begs Samson for the solution and passes it on to her kinsmen, he kills 30 men from Askelon in a rage. When he returns home, he finds that his bride has been given to someone else. In revenge, Samson gathers pairs of foxes and ties their tails together with torches between them. He then looses 300 of the animals on the Philistines' fields, destroying their crops. [In other words, he goes running off in a snit fit, kills 30 men for no good reason other than he's a bully who thinks he is God's Gift, then comes back home and when his wife had rightfully left him, in yet another fit of rage he kills 300 foxes while simultaneously wiping out the harvest, thereby greatly offending the Goddess (who has a special connection with canines and growing crops).  Is it any wonder he was rendered powerless and blinded?  What an asshole!]

It's this scene that is depicted in the mosaic. It's an "unusual" subject, Magness said, because only two other synagogues have been found that depict Samson at all, much less a fiery scene of revenge. But one of the other ancient synagogues that does depict Samson is only a few miles from the newly excavated building, Magness said.

"It suggests that, for whatever reason, Samson was popular in the local area," she said.

The synagogue would have been the only house of worship in the village, Magness said. For a village synagogue, it's very fancy, suggesting that the village was an affluent place. That's interesting, Magness said, because the area was under the rule of Byzantine Christians at the time the synagogue was in use. Usually, this is seen as a time of oppression for Jewish peoples, but it seems that the residents of this particular village were doing well.

The archaeologists uncovered the mosaic last week. A student on his first dig was carefully scraping away at the dirt with a hoe when he felt the hard surface of the mosaic. He called Magness over, and they carefully excavated, brushing away dirt to reveal a colorful female face staring back at them, exposed to the light of day for the first time in 1,500 years.

"I think that was probably by far the most exciting moment I've had as an archaeologist in my life," Magness said.

Fox Turns Table on Dog

Love this photo!  " [A] fox was spotted trailing a beagle in a forest near Montreal, Canada. The odd fox behavior was an effort to protect four newborn fox cubs nearby. The photographer noted that the fox outwitted the dog and saved the family. “It was the first time in my life when I saw foxes so brave, who managed to fight back in front of a hunting dog.” (Photo: Mircea Costina / Caters News )"

More on the Fox Burial in Ancient Jordan

More details on the approximately 16,500 year old fox burial (the fox was buried in one grave, and later on divided and part of it buried in a second grave!) at  'Uyun al-Hammam, or "spring of the pigeon," discovered in the small river valley of Wadi Ziqlab in northern Jordan in 2000. 

Prehistoric Cemetery Reveals Man and Fox Were PalsCharles Q. Choi

LiveScience Contributor
livescience.com – Fri Feb 4, 10:35 am ET


Among the most fascinating additional facts are:

• The Natufian culture was known to bury people with dogs. One case discovered in past excavations in the area involved a woman buried with her hand on a puppy, while another included three humans buried with two dogs along with tortoise shells.
•  The new discovery at 'Uyun al-Hammam shows that some of these practices took place earlier with a different doglike animal, the fox.
• At least 11 people were buried at the site in Jordan, most of whom were found with artifacts such as stone tools, a bone spoon and bone dagger, and red ochre, an iron mineral. One grave held the skull and upper right arm bone of a red fox, with red ochre stuck on its skull, along with bones of deer, gazelle, tortoises and wild cattle.(A neighboring grave with human remains also contained the nearly complete skeleton of a red fox, missing its skull and upper right arm bone, suggesting that a single fox had parts of it moved from one grave to another in prehistoric times). The presence of red ochre is significant in a religious/spiritual context.
• Although foxes are relatively easy to tame, domesticating them might have failed because of their skittish and timid nature. This might explain why dogs ultimately achieved "man's best friend" status instead. However, fox symbolism and fox remains are quite common in later Stone Age sites, both in domestic and burial contexts, so even when other animals were domesticated, prehistoric people maintained an interest in the fox.

Foxes Among the Beautiful Mosaic Floors in 1500 Byzantine Church

Being excavated in Horbat Midras, Israel.  The photographs aren't the best but the fine condition of the mosaic floor is astounding!

Story at pasthorizons.com
Salvage excavations in Israel uncover an impressive mosaic floor
Wednesday, February 2, 2011



Fox - center animal facing to the left (tail to the right), lower left.

 [Excerpted] Part of a 1,500-year-old Byzantine church, the mosaic floor was decorated with images of lions, foxes, fish and peacocks.

The excavation, conducted on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority was necessary due to the site being the target of robbers, trying to access its underground tunnels.

The ruins are built on top of another structure which is believed to have been in use in Roman times. Its underground tunnels were thought to have been used by Jewish rebels around the 2nd century AD. Horbat Midras is believed to be the site of a large Jewish settlement that dates from the Second Temple period until its destruction during the Bar Kokhba uprising in 135 CE.

The later basilica comprises a large flagstone courtyard from which worshippers passed into a corridor. Entering into the nave there were eight breathtaking marble columns that bore magnificent capitals which were imported from Turkey.

For the past month the Israel Antiquities Authority has been engaged in exposing the magnificent structure, unravelling its secrets and preserving the mosaic floors.


I would be very interested to read the possible interpretation of fox images being present inside what I assume is an Orthodox Christian church!

Foxy Lady!

While reading up a bit on some research on "fox" I was reminded of earlier research I did on the word "kitsune" - as can be found here at Wikipedia. 

One of the outstanding characteristics of a kitsune - fox - in ancient Japanese lore is that of being able to assume human form, usually that of a beautiful female (regardless of the sex of the fox).  Below are excerpts from the Wikipedia entry on the kitsune: 

A kitsune may take on human form, an ability learned when it reaches a certain age—usually 100 years, although some tales say 50.[13] As a common prerequisite for the transformation, the fox must place reeds, a broad leaf, or a skull over its head.[16] Common forms assumed by kitsune include beautiful women, young girls, or elderly men. These shapes are not limited by the fox's age or gender,[4] and a kitsune can duplicate the appearance of a specific person.[17] Foxes are particularly renowned for impersonating beautiful women. Common belief in medieval Japan was that any woman encountered alone, especially at dusk or night, could be a fox.[18]

In some stories, kitsune have difficulty hiding their tails when they take human form; looking for the tail, perhaps when the fox gets drunk or careless, is a common method of discerning the creature's true nature.[19] Variants on the theme have the kitsune retain other foxlike traits, such as a coating of fine hair, a fox-shaped shadow, or a reflection that shows its true form.[20] Kitsune-gao or fox-faced refers to human females who have a narrow face with close-set eyes, thin eyebrows, and high cheekbones. Traditionally, this facial structure is considered attractive, and some tales ascribe it to foxes in human form.[21] Kitsune have a fear and hatred of dogs even while in human form, and some become so rattled by the presence of dogs that they revert to the shape of a fox and flee. A particularly devout individual may be able to see through a fox's disguise automatically.[22]

One folk story illustrating these imperfections in the kitsune's human shape concerns Koan, a historical person credited with wisdom and magical powers of divination. According to the story, he was staying at the home of one of his devotees when he scalded his foot entering a bath because the water had been drawn too hot. Then, "in his pain, he ran out of the bathroom naked. When the people of the household saw him, they were astonished to see that Koan had fur covering much of his body, along with a fox's tail. Then Koan transformed in front of them, becoming an elderly fox and running away."[23]

Kitsune are commonly portrayed as lovers, usually in stories involving a young human male and a kitsune who takes the form of a human woman.[59] The kitsune may be a seductress, but these stories are more often romantic in nature.[60] Typically, the young man unknowingly marries the fox, who proves a devoted wife. The man eventually discovers the fox's true nature, and the fox-wife is forced to leave him. In some cases, the husband wakes as if from a dream, filthy, disoriented, and far from home. He must then return to confront his abandoned family in shame.

Many stories tell of fox-wives bearing children. When such progeny are human, they possess special physical or supernatural qualities that often pass to their own children.[19] The astrologer-magician Abe no Seimei was reputed to have inherited such extraordinary powers.[61]

Other stories tell of kitsune marrying one another. Rain falling from a clear sky — a sunshower — is called kitsune no yomeiri or the kitsune's wedding, in reference to a folktale describing a wedding ceremony between the creatures being held during such conditions.[62] The event is considered a good omen, but the kitsune will seek revenge on any uninvited guests.[63] [This is very interesting.  I was raised to consider seeing a "sunshower" as a very good omen, a blessing from God, actually -- but have no idea why it is considered so!]

Stephen Turnbull, in "Nagashino 1575", relates the tale of the Takeda clan's involvement with a fox-woman. The warlord Takeda Shingen, in 1544, defeated in battle a lesser local warlord named Suwa Yorishige and drove him to suicide after a "humiliating and spurious" peace conference, after which Shingen forced marriage on Suwa Yorishige's beautiful 14-year-old daughter Lady Koi—Shingen's own niece. Shingen, Turnbull writes, "was so obsessed with the girl that his superstitious followers became alarmed and believed her to be an incarnation of the white fox-spirit of the Suwa Shrine, who had bewitched him in order to gain revenge." When their son Takeda Katsuyori proved to be a disastrous leader and led the clan to their devastating defeat at the battle of Nagashino, Turnbull writes, "wise old heads nodded, remembering the unhappy circumstances of his birth and his magical mother".

One of the oldest surviving kitsune tales provides a widely known folk etymology of the word kitsune.[5] Unlike most tales of kitsune who become human and marry human males, this one does not end tragically:[6][7]

Ono, an inhabitant of Mino (says an ancient Japanese legend of A.D. 545), spent the seasons longing for his ideal of female beauty. He met her one evening on a vast moor and married her. Simultaneously with the birth of their son, Ono's dog was delivered of a pup which as it grew up became more and more hostile to the lady of the moors.[Echoing the belief of animosity between dogs and foxes.]  She begged her husband to kill it, but he refused. At last one day the dog attacked her so furiously that she lost courage, resumed vulpine shape, leaped over a fence and fled.

"You may be a fox," Ono called after her, "but you are the mother of my son and I love you. Come back when you please; you will always be welcome."

So every evening she stole back and slept in his arms.[5]

Because the fox returns to her husband each night as a woman but leaves each morning as a fox, she is called Kitsune. In classical Japanese, kitsu-ne means come and sleep, and ki-tsune means always comes.[7]

In English, the etymological roots of the term "foxy" to describe a beautiful, seductive woman go back, evidently, to about the mid-1960's, according to this fun discussion I found at wordwizard, as popularized in Jimmy Hendrix's hit song "Foxy Lady:"

Foxy
Foxy

You know you're a cut little heartbreaker
Foxy
You know you're a sweet little lovemaker
Foxy

I wanna take you home
I won't do you no harm, no
You've got to be all mine, all mine
Ooh, foxy lady

I see you, heh, on down on the scene
Foxy
You make me wanna get up and scream
Foxy
Ah, baby listen now
I've made up my mind
I'm tired of wasting all my precious time
You've got to be all mine, all mine
Foxy lady
Here I come

I'm gonna take you home
I won't do you no harm, no
You've got to be all mine, all mine

Here I come
I'm comin' to get ya
Foxy lady
You look so good
Yeah, foxy
Yeah, give us some
Foxy
Yeah, get it, babe
You make me feel like
Feel like sayin' foxy
Foxy
Foxy lady
Foxy lady



The term was used  to describe a beautiful, seductive female in black-American slang terminology. Might it actually be traced to an ancient conjunction of African and Japanese lore concerning the mythical abilities of foxes that met and mixed, perhaps during WWII when battalions of black U.S. soldiers served in occupied Japan? I wonder if anyone else has researched this?

Was the fox prehistoric man’s best friend?

Friday, January 28, 2011

Early humans may have preferred the fox to the dog as an animal companion, new archaeological findings suggest. Researchers analysing remains at a prehistoric burial ground in Jordan have uncovered a grave in which a fox was buried with a human, before part of it was then transferred to an adjacent grave.

The University of Cambridge-led team believes that the unprecedented case points to some sort of emotional attachment between human and fox. Their paper, published January 26, suggests that the fox may have been kept as a pet and was being buried to accompany its master, or mistress, to the afterlife.

If so, it marks the first known burial of its kind and suggests that long before we began to hunt foxes using dogs, our ancestors were keeping them as pets – and doing so earlier than their canine relatives.

The cemetery, at Uyun-al-Hammam, in northern Jordan, is about 16,500 years old, which makes the grave 4,000 years older than the earliest known human-dog burial and 7,000 years earlier than anything similar in Europe involving a fox.

Rest of article.

My take - it's divinatory, darlings :)