IAA Theft Unit Uncovers Church

March 21, 2011

 Last year, when this unit was in pursuit of a group of Palestinian looters, they noticed a large stone lintel protruding from the ground at Hirbet Madras (or Horbat Midras), some 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem. Though they didn’t catch the looters there (but did catch them elsewhere), the head of the theft unit, archaeologist Amir Ganor, returned in December to unveil the secret of the lintel and uncovered an Early Byzantine (5th–7th century AD) church site roughly the size of a basketball court.

Though the lintel had been uncovered back in the 1980s, the building underneath was not. At that time, it was supposed that the lintel belonged to a synagogue because a synagogue in the north had an identical one. However, crosses and the floor plan of a church were uncovered instead. The find is unique because of its size and the almost pristine condition of its largest floor mosaic, which is over 30 feet (9 meters) long, featuring lions, foxes, fish, and peacocks. Ganor described it as “one of the most beautiful mosaics to be uncovered in Israel in recent years, unique in its craftsmanship and level of preservation.”

Digs have been done at this site since the late 19th century. Uncovered was a large Second Temple period, Jewish community complex of hiding caves, burial chambers, a bell cave with columbarium, and extensive underground hiding tunnels used by Jewish rebels during the Great Revolt (AD 66–70) and the Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132–135), which visitors can crawl through. The church sits on top of a large public building from the Roman era. Branching out beneath it is another hiding complex as well as steps that lead to what may be the prophet Zechariah’s tomb. This supposition, dubious to some, comes from early fifth-century Christian tradition and the fact that it is found on Jordan’s famous six-century Madaba mosaic map of Jerusalem.

The site has already been included in Israel’s national heritage project but is not yet open to the public. The mosaics were covered up to protect them until plans can be made for the site’s presentation as a tourist site, but looters, beware! Ganor is watching—with a gun!

Source: By Charleeda Sprinkle, Assistant Editor