In the marvelous repertoire of Roman mosaics, the ancient pavement discovered in Lod, in the heart of Israel, is said to be
“one of the most beautiful in the world”.
Twenty-six years after its excavation on the site of a highway, the work populated by birds, tigers, rhinos as well as a multitude of fish and monsters finally emerges in a brand new setting.
Presented for years internationally, from the Louvre to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, via the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the mosaic reconnects this week with the Israeli public from the Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center, built especially for the welcome.
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The archaeological museum in the Israeli city of Lod, which opened on Monday, now displays the Roman mosaic, dated to
the 3rd or 4th century CE, alongside another mosaic of the same kind discovered in 2014.
people from all over the country and the world to see this incredible treasure here, in its original location, exactly where it was found”
, said the mayor of Lod Leon Revivo on the occasion of the inauguration of the center.
The most beautiful ancient mosaic in Israel
The Lod mosaic, with a dimension of almost 17 meters long by 9 meters wide, presents an abundant fauna presented in the skilfully constructed frame of a geometric frame.
Remarkably preserved, it was discovered in 1996 under two meters of earth, during a preventive archeology operation.
According to specialists, it must have paved the floor of the dining room (
triclinium
) of a large villa which stood on this site during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
"It includes colored surfaces depicting fruits, mammals, birds, fish, flora and even sailing ships
," says the Israel Antiquities Authority (AIA).
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The Lod mosaic would be
“the most luxurious this period preserved in Israel,
estimates the archaeologist Hagit Torge of the AIA.
It is unique both in its form and in its style and shows that the artists who produced this type of work in Carthage and Sicily traveled throughout the Roman world
”.
Lod, called Diospolis in Romano-Byzantine times and today located very close to Tel-Aviv International Airport, was a local capital whose influence declined in favor of its neighbor Ramla after the Muslim conquest.
“We hope that the new center will become a great tourist attraction,”
Shelby White, who contributed financially to the construction of the center, told AFP during the inauguration of the museum.
