Archaeologists Uncover Early Christian Church

January 22, 2023234 views0

Archaeologists Uncover Early Christian Church

2023-01-22T12:52:20+01:00

By Church News

A team of Israeli archaeologists has discovered a sixth-century Byzantine church with highly decorated mosaic floors.The Civil Administration’s Archaeology Unit, which oversees historical sites in Judea and Samaria, announced Wednesday that the church was found in Jericho, a Palestinian town located in the West Bank, according to The Times of Israel.The agency is part of the government of Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, which is part of the Ministry of Defense.It reported that the church is 250 square meters large, which would have made the building a relatively large church for its time.

Sixth-century Byzantine church uncovered near Jerichohttps://t.co/WpgSECVAxh

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The area where the church was located sustained a major earthquake in A.D. 749 that destroyed churches throughout the region. The church, however, was abandoned before the earthquake.Archaeologists have noted the extravagance of the design; the building contains materials that are not native to the area and have likely been transported a considerable way, suggesting the building was not inexpensive, and the builders were not afraid to splash some cash when designing it.The mosaic will now be replicated and placed in the Good Samaritan museum.Mosaic installations show vines and animal figures, and an inscription above the entrance naming the men behind the building is still legible.The Civil Administration said, “it sees great importance in the discovery of antiquities and will continue its archaeological work for the continued discovery of the area’s glorious past.”The ruins of the church will be put on display at the Good Samaritan Museum along with the mosaics.The museum is dedicated to sharing historical evidence of the Jewish, Christian, and Samaritan faiths, according to the website.In the early to the middle part of the sixth century, the area where the church was found would have been under the governance of Catholic Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire.ALSO READ Archaeologists Unearth Ivory Referenced In 1st Kings, Amos