The Megiddo Prison site is becoming an archaeological park

THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A LONG TIME: A Jew, an Early Christian and a Roman Meet in Archaeological Park to Be Built on Evacuated Prison. ‘God Jesus Christ’ mosaic, ancient Jewish-Samaritan village of Othnay and Roman command center in Galilee park replacing Megiddo Prison; inmates to move to huge new facility (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

A prison built by the British on an archaeological site in northern Israel in the 1940s is finally going to be evacuated. The walls and barbed wire of Megiddo Prison will be replaced with an archaeological park featuring one of the earliest-known houses of Christian worship, which was found in the ancient Jewish village of Kefar Othnay (a.k.a. Kfar Otnai), as well as the remains of a vast Roman army base across the Qeni river, Megiddo Regional Council announced this week.

The new park will also encompass seven Ottoman-era flour mills built along a stream, the council says.

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Background here and links.

UPDATE (5 March): Bad background link now fixed. Sorry about that. For a note of skepticism about the early date of the above-mentioned mosaic, see here.

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