Tuesday, August 19, 2025

A late-antique senior care home in Sussita (Hippos) National Park?

GERIATRIC ARCHAEOLOGY: 1,600 years of care: Archaeologists in northern Israel uncover world’s earliest home for elderly. University of Haifa researchers discover mosaic medallion bearing inscription ‘Peace be with the elders’ in Byzantine city of Hippos (Times of Israel Staff).
Designated institutions for the elderly have been referenced in texts from the fifth and sixth centuries, but this was the first physical evidence of such a practice, the researchers said.

The find was uncovered near the intersection of two major streets in the residential area of the ancient Byzantine city of Hippos in the Galilee. The Christian city was the seat of the bishop, where archaeologists have also discovered seven churches, a temple, a basilica, a theater, and at least two theaters.

The underlying article in Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik does not seem to be available online at all.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on artifacts and architecture recovered in Sussita (Hippos) National Park, start here and follow the links

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