The fortress of Tureta on the Konati Islands, located on the northern stretches of Dalmatia, south of Zadar and west of Sibenik in Croatia, dates back to late Antiquity. It is arguably the finest Byzantine edifice still standing in and… Read More ›
Archeology
The 1,700 year old Roman and Byzantine-era mosaics of Lod.
The construction and modernization of Israeli infrastructure across fields, suburban blocks, highways and streets has seen an unprecedented wave of ancient structures and mosaics surface over the past few decades. This year alone, the archeological communities of Israel and news… Read More ›
Treasure and mystery in Byzantine Cappadocia.
Before the Romans, other ancient civilisations, notably the Achaemenid Empire, once inhabited the mountainous region of central Anatolia called Cappadocia. In the Christian era, as early as the fourth century, important monastic settlements began to form in this largely semi-arid region…. Read More ›
A rare Byzantine Egyptian streetscape on show in Kiryat Gat, Israel.
A very rare Egyptian streetscape mosaic in the Kiryat Gat Industrial Park, in Israel, will be open to the public for viewing tomorrow on October 1st. Two years ago the 1,500 year-old Byzantine Mosaic was removed from the site for… Read More ›
The Maccabees, a long-lost tomb and that curious Byzantine mosaic cross that adorns it.
Over the past few days I have been reading reports about what could quite possibly be the rediscovery of the long-lost tomb of the Maccabees. The famed Maccabees were rebels who fought against Seleucid religious oppression between 166-160 BC. They… Read More ›
The 6th century Basilica Cistern
One of the most amazing sights or structures in Istanbul today lies beneath our feet. In the subterranean depths below the ‘first hill of Constantinople’, where once stood a grand Byzantine public square, you will find the most splendid of… Read More ›
Rare Byzantine grape seeds found in Israel has given us hope of a new Negev wine?
In the middle of February this year, a colleague brought to my attention an amazing discovery unearthed in Israel. Immediately I thought, it was another floor mosaic, pottery or hoard of gold coins. To my surprise it was neither of… Read More ›
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Pharos lighthouse on Roman coins minted in Alexandria in the 2nd century AD. In 1994, a French team of archaeological divers conducted a salvage inspection in the eastern harbor of Alexandria in the hope of finding the site of… Read More ›
Stunning Byzantine mosaic unearthed in southern Israel.
This is a small section of the stunning Byzantine mosaic discovered near Aluma, Israel. Occasionally I will deviate from the narrative to present you (the reader) something current I have stumbled across in relation to the Byzantine world. Archeological finds… Read More ›
