Mosaic-floor church excavated at Nitzana in the Negev

ARCHAEOLOGY: On the trail of Lawrence of Arabia: 1,400-year-old church found in the Negev. Mosaic-decorated church uncovered at Nitzana National Park sheds light on the scene among pilgrims traveling through the Holy Land to Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt (Rossella Tercating, Times of Israel).

The mosaic-floor church was discovered during the latest excavation season conducted by BGU archaeologists in February.

“It is the most beautiful of all six churches, because it is the only one featuring colorful mosaic floors as opposed to simple stone floors, like the others,” Tchekhanovets said.

The mosaics present intricate geometric and floral patterns.

The archaeologists could date the completion of the church precisely thanks to an inscription dedicating the building to the benefactor who funded it in 601 CE.

You have to read pretty far into the article to get to Lawrence of Arabia, and he is not very important to the story. Cross-file under Decorative Art.

PaleoJudaica posts about discoveries in the Nitzana National Park are here, here, and here, and, under the name Nessana, here, here and (a good overview through late 2024) here.

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