Archaeology Project: Huqoq Excavation

In Summer 2023, I joined Professor Jodi Magness and an international team at the Huqoq site in Israel — home to one of the most significant Late Roman synagogues ever discovered. I worked on excavation units, learned field methods, and witnessed history emerge through mosaics, coins, and architecture. This experience deepened my passion for archaeology and expanded my understanding of cultural preservation through hands-on practice.

Campus Archaeology: A Different Kind of Dig

In Spring 2025, I worked with UNC archaeologists on a project right here on campus — exploring UNC’s historic grounds and contributing to efforts that uncover and contextualize the university’s layered past. This project focused on preservation and education, offering new perspectives on familiar places.

“Liu said volunteers learn skills such as washing and categorizing the artifacts, saying he was looking for pottery shards and metals and trying to avoid unnecessary, irrelevant discoveries like rocks and plastic.”
— Snow Liu, in The Daily Tar Heel