News

A video of excavations in the center of the country, 30 kilometers from Jerusalem, near the village of Beit Shemesh, was published on the official channel of the department on YouTube.

According to the head of the excavation Binyamin Storkhan, it is a large monastery with a church of the V-VII centuries of our era. "We saw the size of the walls and realized that we are talking about a large monastery, in which there was a wonderful church ... The monastery and the church belong to the middle of the 5th - beginning of the 7th century AD," Storhan said.

Storhan explained that the ancient complex is located just north of the valley of Ha-El, which is known as the place where the battle between David and Goliath occurred.

According to the expert, at the end of the Byzantine era the whole complex of buildings and the church were abandoned.

On the floor of ancient buildings archaeologists discovered colored mosaics. "This week we reached one part of the floor with an amazing color mosaic ... It really surprised us that the mosaic was perfectly preserved," Storhan added.

Archaeologist Naftali Aizik demonstrates "amazing artifacts" found at the site of excavation: ancient crosses, splinters of marble window grilles, fishing hooks, ceramic products and ornaments, and a fully preserved Abbasid era candlestick.

In the excavations of the Byzantine monastery participated more than a thousand students of various schools and colleges. "We wanted to find a place to earn a trip to Poland, archaeological excavations really bring us closer to Israel, to our roots." A whole history of my people is under my feet! ", Concluded a high school student Hadas Kate.

RIA News