Israeli students discover Byzantine-era mosaic

Published: 2006-06-23

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Just as they were preparing for the end of the school year, students from the Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam Jewish-Arab school taking part in a yearlong archaeological educational enrichment project uncovered a Byzantine-era mosaic covered with crosses. The mosaic was apparently part of the floor of the central room of a Byzantine church or convent and includes a medallion with a radius of about three feet decorated with a large black and red cross. Smaller crosses encircled by geometric shapes surround the central cross. Another mosaic uncovered in a smaller room to the east of the central room also includes small crosses inside geometric designs. The students also found stucco remains most likely used to decorate the inside walls of the structure, according to an Israel Antiquities Authority press release. The archaeological site is on top of a hill overlooking the Ayalon Valley on the main road to Jerusalem, close to the modern-day Trappist monastery at Latrun, and is believed to be the site where Jesus first revealed himself to his apostles following his crucifixion.

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