1,700-year-old footprints discovered under Israel's mosaic floor

Ancient footprints of the artisans who built a 1,700-year-old mosaic floor in Israeli city of Lod were recently discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), local daily Ha'aretz reported Wednesday on its website.

While working on detaching the mosaic from the ground, IAA workers discovered the footprints and sandal prints on the plaster bedding below, said the report.

Experts believe the footprints belong to the builders of the mosaic, and further speculate that they had used their feet to pack the plaster. Sandal prints in different sizes were discovered.

"We were very excited," Jacques Neguer, head of the IAA Art Conservation Branch, was quoted as saying. "It is fascinating to find 1,700-year-old personal evidence of people who, just like us, worked on this very mosaic. You can really feel the generational continuity."

The mosaic floor, one of the biggest and most remarkable mosaics to be discovered in Israel, spans 180 square meters and is composed of colorful and detailed depictions of animals, plants and boats.

The impressive mosaic, discovered in 1996, is believed to have decorated the home of a wealthy man during the Roman period.

Following the discovery of the mosaic, it was covered up due to lack of the resources required to preserve and display it. The floor was recently uncovered again, with the aim of opening the site to the public, after the IAA and the Lod municipality were able to raise the funds required for the endeavor.

Source: Xinhua