Posted on 04/18/2005 6:35:32 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A 500-square-meter mosaic depicting an intricate design of flamingos, peacocks, ducks and other animals that adorned the floor of a fifth-century C.E. villa, was unearthed recently on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean near Caesarea.
Parts of the floor were first discovered in the 1950s by archaeologist Shmuel Yeivin. However, it was not fully excavated at the time due to budgetary constraints.
This time, after an initial week-long excavation by Dr. Yosef Porat and Peter Gendelman of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the authority refused to continue the dig, citing a lack of funds. The Caesarea Development Corporation has agreed to pay for conservation so the floor can be put on display.
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One expert, who is not connected with the dig but visited the site two weeks ago, told Haaretz the villa is "the most impressive ever discovered so far in Israel."
The floor was apparently part of a central courtyard in the two-story villa, which covered 1.5 dunams and was destroyed during the Arab conquest in 640 C.E.
A table was discovered in one of the rooms and its glass was created using a previously unknown technique, apparently involving gold leaf. Other parts of the villa, including the second floor, also contained spectacular mosaics.
This is not the first case in which a budgetary dispute has ensued over the
excavation of a mosaic. In the 1990s, an American-Jewish donor agreed to fund restoration of a magnificent fourth-century mosaic discovered in Lod, but demanded it be transfered to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem for display. The Lod municipality, however, insisted that it remain
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
The weird thing, a lot of digs in Israel and elsewhere in former Biblical lands are more or less privately funded; it's even pretty easy to find digs where you can participate for the price of a (very expensive) luxury cruise, meaning you're paying for the privilege of moving a lot of dirt under a blazing Sun, and maybe, possibly, unearthing an artifact (which will probably be a featureless potshard).
And yes, if I had the money, I'd be doing that right now. ;')
Join a dig, BAR list:
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbDigBAR.html
Join a dig, AO list:
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbDigAO.html
2005 summer study abroad programs:
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbDigSumstudy.html
BAR dig scholarships:
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbDigScholar.html
Archaeology mag fieldwork opportunities:
http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10015
Nick, I'm surprised at you.
C.E???
As I told my kids, if I ever saw a C.E. or B.C.E. on their homework, I would march them into the Principal's office and tear up the homework in front of them, the Principal and their teacher.
Well, I didn't write the article, I wouldn't have written it that way. It's an Israeli paper.
Indoors?!? Air conditioned?!? What's next? Seat cushions in church? ;') :'D
...'cause Dad's too busy running the UN.
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