Christian villa unearthed

2004-03-11 13:44

Jerusalem - Archaeologists said on Wednesday they have unearthed ruins of a villa with complex geometric mosaics from the early Christian Byzantine era near the Israeli seaside city of Netanya.

The villa, dated to between the 5th or 6th centuries AD, is the first to be found in the area, said archaeologist Marwan Massarwa of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Remains of other Byzantine settlements dot the Mediterranean coast.

The site, discovered by road workers building a highway off-ramp, includes two rooms with well preserved mosaic floors. The foundations of walls of adjoining buildings were also discovered.

The first room, apparently a central courtyard, has a mosaic with faded black and red leaves coming off a wavy branch and surrounding a black, red and yellow geometric design on a white background.

In a second room - which is still being excavated - the archaeologists found a mosaic made of small stones depicting red flowers surrounded by grey, red, white and yellow parallel lines.

The elaborate mosaics, together with a lead water pipe that surrounded the courtyard, indicate that the building belonged to someone wealthy, Massarwa said.

"This is a relatively high standard of living. You can see the investment in the site," he said.

Following the fourth century split in the Roman empire, the Holy Land came under the rule of Christian Byzantine until it was conquered by the Arabs in AD 636. Archaeologically, the period is noted for the building of many monasteries and churches across the country.

The Netanya municipality is investigating ways to preserve the site without interrupting construction of the exit from the main coastal highway.

One option is to protect the floors under the new road, with a tunnel allowing the public access, city spokesperson Rami Gobernik said. The second option involves moving the whole site.

"We are waiting for the excavations to end, then we will make a decision," he said.

- AP