Ancient mosaic unveiled in Israel

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IANS Tel Aviv
Last Updated : Nov 16 2015 | 7:13 PM IST

Israel's Antiquities Authority on Monday unveiled a Roman-era floor mosaic, which was unearthed last year.

Archaeologists said that the "breathtaking" mosaic served as a floor of a villa's living room some 1,700 years ago. The piece, measuring 11 by 13 metres, was discovered in Lod, a city east of capital Tel Aviv, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The villa we found was part of a neighbourhood of affluent houses that stood here during the Roman and Byzantine periods," 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 animals, fish, flowers in baskets, vases and birds.

According to Gorzalczany, "the quality of the images indicates a highly developed artistic ability."

A similar piece was unearthed in the same spot in the 1990s and is widely considered by archaeologists as one of the most spectacular in the country.

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First Published: Nov 16 2015 | 7:00 PM IST

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