1,700-year-old "breathtaking" mosaic uncovered in Israel

Israel's Antiquities Authority unveiled Monday a Roman-era floor mosaic, which was unearthed last year during constructions of a visitor center meant to exhibit another mosaic discovered two decades ago in the same place.

Archaeologists said that the "breathtaking" mosaic served as a floor of a villa's living room some 1,700 years ago. The piece, measured 11 by 13 meters (about 36 by 42.5 feet), was discovered in Lod, a city east of Tel Aviv in central Israel.

"The villa we found was part of a neighborhood of affluent houses that stood here during the Roman and Byzantine periods," Dr. Amir Gorzalczany, excavation director, said in a statement.

"At that time Lod was called Diospolis and was the district capital, until it was replaced by Ramla after the Muslim conquest. The building was used for a very long time," he added.

The mosaic depicts scenes of hunting and hunted animals, fish, flowers in baskets, vases and birds. According to Gorzalczany, "the quality of the images indicates a highly developed artistic ability."

His team found it in the summer of 2014, when a visitor center has been constructed in order to display the so-called Lod Mosaic, a piece unearthed in the same spot in the 1990s and is widely considered by archaeologists as one of the most spectacular in the country. Endit