Social Networking for Genealogists

Go to: http://www.genealogywise.com/.

Lod Journal: Polishing a Lost Gem to Dazzle Tourists

The beauty of the exquisitely preserved ancient mosaic only seemed to underline the incongruity of its surroundings.

The late-Roman-era mosaic floor, one of the largest and finest in Israel, was unveiled by the authorities last week for just the second time since it was discovered 13 years ago in the dilapidated eastern section of this poor town near the international airport, south of Tel Aviv.

Some 1,700 years old, the magnificent tiled floor spreads over almost 2,000 square feet, shaded from the harsh summer sun by a thin awning and surrounded by a canvas fence. A panoply of colorful depictions of birds, fish, exotic animals and merchant ships, the mosaic conjures up an intriguing reminder of Lod’s more glorious past.

The archaeologists of the Israel Antiquities Authority believe the mosaic, which lacks any inscriptions, was commissioned by a wealthy individual who owned a grand villa here. Lod, which is mentioned in the Bible, was an important center in ancient times, and this part of it is known to have been a neighborhood of the rich.

Read more here.

Israeli Archeologists Unearth Herod’s Quarry

On Monday the Israel Antiquity Authority said that they believed archeologists may have unearthed a stone quarry used by King Herod—known throughout most of the western world as the Roman king of the Holy Land during Christ’s birth—to build a number of famous structures, including the Jewish Temple and the Western Wall.

The quarry appears to be just one portion of a large system of quarries located inside the ancient city.

Archeologists have indicated that the size of the stones extracted have offered clues as to what kind of construction they were used for. Some of the largest stones chiseled out of the 1,000-square-foot quarry have dimensions of roughly 9 foot by 6 foot by 6 foot—almost identical to the measurements of the massive blocks used to construct the Temple and the Western Wall.

According to Ofer Sion, director of the excavation project, “[t]he dimensions of the stones that were produced in the quarry that was revealed are suitable for the Temple walls.”

Read more here.