THIS is the moment a 1,500-year-old mosaic is unearthed at a holy site – thought to bless all those who read it.
The significant archaeological breakthrough from the Byzantine period (5th-6th centuries CE) was found in southern Israel, and features a biblical inscription in ancient Greek.
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday that they had made the discovery, which also features at least ten buildings and a winepress.
The striking mosaic features crosses, lions, doves, an amphora (a ceramic maritime shipping jug), flowers and geometric patterns.
It has a biblical inscription at its centre, reading: “Blessed are you when you come in and blessed are you when you go out” (Deuteronomy 28:6).
This historic find blesses all those who find it.
Archaeologists describe it as “the largest and most significant site discovered in the region from the Roman and Byzantine periods.”
Svetlana Talis, director of the Southern Region at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “The discovery of the site highlights the historical richness of Kiryat Gat and its surroundings, shedding light on the centrality of the region in antiquity.”
According to excavation managers Shira Lifshitz and Maayan Margulis, “The early settlement is sited on a central road junction connecting the mountain region to the coastal plain.
“It served the area’s smaller settlements and travellers passing by.”
Mark Avrahami, Head of Artistic Conservation at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “The mosaic discovered in Kiryat Gat is one of the most unique ever found in Israel.”
The site was Uncovered near the city of Kiryat Gat, about 35 miles south of Tel Aviv.
Included in these ten buildings is a monastery, which makes up a site which is thought to have functioned for hundreds of years.
The monastery was part of a settlement that existed during the Roman period and flourished for approximately 600 years.
Adjacent to the monastery, archaeologists uncovered a sophisticated winepress that underwent multiple repairs and renovations throughout its use.
It features distinctive blue and white stone mosaic flooring, with traces of red paint still visible on the plastered surfaces.
Greek letters, likely as construction markers, remain visible on some of the northern collecting vat floor slabs.
The excavation uncovered more than just the sites themselves, but offered experts a look into what kind of production was carried out there.
The settlement appears to have been a centre for pottery production, as evidenced by ceramic factory waste.
In Biblical times, Kiryat Gat, in southern Israel near the border with Judah, was one of the five major cities of the Philistines.
It was one of the last refuges of the Anakim (literally, ‘giants’) in front of the conquering Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 11:22).
Gath, a Philistine city, was either subdued during the days of the prophet Samuel, or by King David.
The first book of Kings (2:39) states that in the time of King Solomon it was still ruled by a Philistine king named Achish (1 Samuel 27:1–7).
The narrative in the first book of Chronicles (1 Chronicles 7:21) relates that Ezer and Elead, sons of Ephraim, were killed by men who were natives of Gath, because “they came down to take their livestock”.
In Hebrew, Kiryat Gat means “the place of the winepress”.
The Israel Land Authority views this discovery as symbolic of the connection between past and future.
Director Yaacov Kvint commented: “[the authority] invests tens of millions of shekels annually in salvage excavations for various projects across the country, aimed at uncovering and documenting the rich history and archaeology beneath the neighbourhoods of the future.”
The mosaic floor will be relocated to an open area in the city and made accessible to the public.
