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Friday, August 30, 2024

Ancient tomb art going on display in Ashkelon

ARCHAEOLOGY, DECORATIVE ART: Never Before Seen Ancient Roman Tombs to Be Shown to Public for the First Time. One of the tombs was first discovered in the 1930s, only to be reburied and excavated again in the 1990. Having undergone extensive restoration, the city of Ashkelon will create a special archaeology park to display the two tombs (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

The tomb paintings depict scenes from Greco-Roman mythology. My first thougth was, I wonder who was buried there. An article by Joseph Feldman in VIN News (Ancient Tombs With Vibrant Wall Paintings Open to Public in Southern Israel) addresses that question:

The tombs, located a few hundred meters from the beach, were likely the burial place for aristocratic Romans some 1,700 years ago, when Ashkelon was a Roman city, according to archaeologists.

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