The 15 century old mosaic, preserved in good condition & traced to between the 4th & 5th centuries C.E., “is unique due to the large number of motifs incorporated together,” says Dr. Yigal Yisrael from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
A splendidly colorful mosaic, some 1,500 years old, was discovered recently in an open field near Kibbutz Beit Kama, located in the Bnei Shimon Region Council in the northern Negev.
The colorful mosaic found near Kibbutz Beit Kama – Photo: Yossi Zeliger
The mosaic, which has been traced to somewhere between the fourth and sixth centuries in the Common Era, was discovered during an archeological dig conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority before the paving of a new highway interchange.
During the excavation, managed by Dr. Rina Avner of the IAA, the remnants of a village the size of six dunam (1.5 acres) was discovered. The mosaic, which adorns the floor of one of the structures, was preserved in good condition. It is geometrically designed and in its corners one can see amphoras (a type of jug used to carry wine), a pair of peacocks and a pair of doves pecking grapes on a vine.
The finding hints that the structure was a public building. “These designs are common and known to be from this period, but the mosaic is unique due to the large number of motifs incorporated together,” said Dr. Yigal Yisrael, the IAA’s chief southern district archeologist.
Yisrael added that a water pool was discovered at the entrance to the building, with a trench system running between them, and that during the Byzantine period Jewish and Christian communities lived side by side in the area.
The Antiquities Authority is currently exploring what the structure and water pool were used for, as they seem to have been the focus of considerable financial resources.
Following the Shavuot holiday, the IAA will open the excavation site to the general public.
View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=9263
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