A detail of parts of a Byzantine-era mosaic floor that was uncovered recently by a Palestinian farmer in Bureij in central Gaza Strip, Sept. 5, 2022.Fatima Shbair
Posted on 09/18/2022 11:00:43 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Last spring, a Palestinian farmer was planting a new olive tree when his shovel hit a hard object. He called his son, and for three months, the pair slowly excavated an ornate Byzantine-era mosaic that experts say is one of the greatest archaeological treasures ever found in Gaza...
The floor, boasting 17 iconographies of beasts and birds, is well-preserved and its colors are bright.
"These are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the graphic representation and the complexity of the geometry," said René Elter, an archaeologist from the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem.
"Never have mosaic floors of this finesse, this precision in the graphics and richness of the colors been discovered in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Elter says the mosaic pavement dates back to a time between the 5th and the 7th centuries...
Elter, who has conducted research in Gaza in the past, has not been able to visit the site but viewed a series of photos and videos taken by local research partners...
Hamas itself pays little attention to preserving the sites as it struggles to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. In 2017, Hamas bulldozers destroyed large parts of a site containing remains from a 4,500-year-old Bronze Age settlement to make housing projects for its employees.
Early this year, bulldozers digging for an Egyptian-funded housing project in northern Gaza unearthed a Roman-era tomb.
Among the few preserved sites in Gaza are the St. Hilarion monastery, which spans from the late Roman Empire to the Islamic Umayyad period, and the site of a Byzantine church that was restored by international aid organizations and opened this year in the northern Gaza Strip...
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
A detail of parts of a Byzantine-era mosaic floor that was uncovered recently by a Palestinian farmer in Bureij in central Gaza Strip, Sept. 5, 2022.Fatima Shbair
Pre-Islamic.
This one couldn't be posted:
Tho it is amazing...
One branch of my family was in New France then, but opposite corner of the state.
Those people weren’t constrained by idiotic cell phones and vidiot games. They actually did something with their time and energy.
I’ve always liked mosaics.
Byzantine
it is definitely proof of palestinian home land
Roman.
Guess I should have added ye ole sarcastic tag....
Me too, even the browser by that name.
:^)
No problem. Had a long hard nigh with a teething baby. :-)
Dodo birds?
Been there....done that...My kids are in their 50s...lol
This is all fine a good but I need to plant this olive tree.
Didn’t Mosaic evolve into Netscape?
Since the treasure includes visuals of beasts and birds, it is forbidden by the Koran and must be destroyed.
Call the Taliban experts on the destruction of such treasures
If that were the case then many of the best rugs and carpets ever produced in the Middle East would have to be destroyed.
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