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Abstract

The Lod mosaic was first exposed in 1996 by the late Miriam Avisar in a routine archaeological inspection of infrastructure works on He-Ḥaluẓ Street. Following its discovery, it was decided to build a museum on-site, and the author was appointed by the IAA to head further excavations prior to its construction. During this time, the mosaic had been carefully removed and sent abroad on a tour around some of the world’s most renown museums, including the Altes Museum, Berlin, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, and the Louvre Museum, Paris. Few Israeli archaeological exhibitions received such outstanding international attention. This paper presents the luxurious villa that existed at Lod during the Late Roman period (third–fourth centuries CE) and housed this spectacular mosaic floor in its lounge, as well as another impressive mosaic pavement that was unearthed in a peristyle courtyard to its south. The finds testify to the wealth of the residents of this urban villa, attested by the superb quality of the mosaics, made in accordance with the finest standards and combining rare and precious raw materials. The study of the mosaics led to important conclusions regarding the techniques employed in their making and the artistic schools that inspired the artisans. It is concluded that the villa was part of an affluent domestic quarter during the Late Roman period. Other finds uncovered in the excavations range in date from the Second Temple period to the twentieth century CE.

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