Mosaic found 25 years ago returned to Israel

An ancient masterpiece of art has been returned to Israel - a huge mosaic composition about 1,700 years old. The mosaic was discovered in 1996 in the Israeli city of Lod in 1996, but it was not fully excavated until 2009. It is not surprising that specialists from the Israel Antiquities Authority could not immediately cope with the find - the floor was covered with an image of 17x9 meters, which, although very well preserved, required special handling.

The composition consists of several parts, it depicts animals, fish, birds, many of which were exotic for the area where Lod is located. The researchers also identified the types of ships depicted: these are merchant ships that transported goods from Egypt to Rome. The picture was created in the III-IV centuries. and decorated the floor of a rich villa. At that time the city was known by the Greek name Diospolis. Once here was Lydda, captured during the Second Jewish War by the Romans. Later, the city of Diospolis received another name - it became known as Georgiopolis, in honor of George the Victorious, who was buried according to legend in this place.

For about ten years, the mosaic was taken to museums around the world, and at that time the Israeli authorities tried to raise the necessary amount for the construction of a museum in which the artifact could be exhibited to the general public. The image has traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre, and can now be seen at the Shelby White and Leon Levy Mosaic Archaeological Center in Lod. The creators of the museum tried to reproduce the ancient villa to show the conditions in which the mosaic was located centuries ago. The information is available in three languages: Hebrew, English and Arabic. Do not forget that you can always buy or put up for sale ancient finds on our website.