Rare 1,600-year-old mosaic from Christian monastery unveiled after centuries of obscurity

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement about the unveiling of the Be'er Shema mosaic earlier this week. The mosaic was officially opened to the public at the Merhavim Regional Council complex in the Southern District of Israel on Sunday.

The ministry described the art piece as "one of the most impressive mosaics discovered in the south of the country."

The mosaic has 55 medallions, with each telling its own story. Archaeologist Shaike Lender said the scenes depict "mythological characters, baskets of fruit, exotic animals, scenes from everyday life, hunting scenes and more."

"The mosaic was clearly made by the hand of a true artist," Lender added. 

"It is comprised of small mosaic stones in a variety of colors, combined with glass and pottery to infuse it with variety."

The Be'er Shema mosaic was found in 1990 during an excavation in Kibbutz Urim. 

The mosaic was a feature within a monastery that also doubled as a winery to "earn its sustenance," according to Israeli officials.

"The excavation of the complex uncovered a large winepress and warehouses with storage jugs, which were produced on site," the statement said. 

"It seems that the ancient road upon which this settlement was sited served as a kind of border between the desert and the inhabited part of the country - during the Byzantine period, and perhaps serving as such even earlier, during the Roman period," officials said.

Archaeologists also discovered the monastery was part of a large settlement, comprised of several hundred dunams. A dunam, a historic unit of measurement still used in Israel today, is 1,000 square meters each.

The mosaic was extensively preserved by archaeologists over the past few months.

They treated the mosaic for damage and re-strengthened the tiles. Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) director Eli Escusido applauded the mosaic's opening, saying its site "will serve the public as an open archaeological garden."