Israel, massive Roman basilica discovered; it is the largest in the country. It will be open to the public

Major archaeological discovery in Israel’s Tel Ashkelon National Park, a coastal park located in front of the city of Ashkelon in the western Negev: the Israel Antiquities Authority has in fact announced the discovery of a 2,000-year-old basilica, the largest of its kind in the country. It is an imposing public building, the hub of Roman city life (in ancient Rome the basilica was a place of meetings, business and trade), also flanked by the remains of a theater. Those responsible for the archaeological excavation that led to the discovery (Rachel Bar-Natan, Saar Ganor and Federico Kobrin) state that “the huge building is covered by a roof and divided into three parts: a central hall and two side halls. The hall was surrounded by rows of marble columns and capitals, which reached an estimated height of 13 meters and supported the roof of the building. The floor and walls were made of marble.”

Ashkelon was already a bustling trading city in Roman times, and marble was imported fromAsia Minor on merchant ships that reached the port of Ashkelon.In all, some 200 marbles were found near the basilica, testifying to the building’s great splendor. Among the objects, dozens of capitals with plant motifs were discovered, some of them bearing an eagle, the symbol of the Roman Empire. Heart-shaped columns and capitals were found in the corners of the building. Excavations by the British in the 1920s also unearthed large sculptures, including a statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, supported by the god Atlas holding a sphere, and a statue of Isis, an Egyptian deity depicted as Tyche, the city’s goddess of fortune.

“The basilica was founded by Herod the Great, and a historical source suggests that his family came from the city of Ashkelon,” Ganor, Bar-Natan and Kobrin add. “During the Roman Severan dynasty, in the second and third centuries AD, the building was renovated, marble architectural elements were added to the site and a small theater was added. Herodian coins discovered under the ancient floors of the structure show that it was built in the time of one of the greatest builders who ever lived in the country. The writings of historian Josephus Flavius mention Herod’s construction in the city of Ashkelon and also speak of fountains, baths and colonnaded halls. Today, based on the new archaeological evidence, we can understand the origins of the historical record.”

The basilica was devastated by the earthquake that struck the area in AD 363: the effects of the seismic waves are clearly visible on the floor of the building, providing tangible evidence of the events of that year in Ashkelon. After its destruction, the building was abandoned. During the Abbasid and Fatimid periods, the basilica site was turned into an industrial area and several plants were built there. In one of these, marble pillars and capitals of the basilica were subject to reuse and were therefore incorporated into the walls of the buildings. There is evidence from the Ottoman period that marble objects were cut to be used as paving stones.

The preservation department of the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting complex conservation and restoration work on the odeon and basilica, under the guidance of the Nature and Parks Authority, and with funding from the Leon Levy Foundation. The operations include the placement of marble sculptures from ancient Ashkelon in the southern part of the basilica. In the first phase of the work, the odeon will be preserved and restored: new elements such as modern seating, a stage, and a series of explanatory signs will also be inserted. Still, the floor of the basilica will be restored and refurbished, and additional columns will be placed around the perimeter of the building based on research results. Indeed, the idea is to open the basilica, Israel’s largest, to the public. In the meantime, visitors will be able to sit on seats in the odeon (work will be completed in the coming months) and observe the work on the nearby basilica.

“Tel Ashkelon National Park,” says Shaul Goldstein, administrator of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, “combines a fascinating site of antiquities with unique natural resources characteristic of the coastal plain dunes. It was the first national park to be declared such in Israel, in the 1960s, and has been continuously evolving and renewing ever since, benefiting visitors from all over the country. The inauguration of the basilica and odeon along with the enhancement, preservation and restoration work, which includes the installation of pillars and ancient marble sculptures found in excavations at the site, as well as the addition of new accessible paths around the major points of interest, undoubtedly enhance the visit to the park by further emphasizing its uniqueness.”

Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam says that “Ashkelon National Park is one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel and the world, and one of the most visited in the country. The city is very proud of it, and invests resources and funding in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority to encourage public visits, subsidizing admission for Ashkelon residents and promoting educational and community initiatives. We also recently finished the redevelopment of the park entrance road, which has been transformed to give the park the dignity it deserves. I am convinced that the restoration and conservation work will contribute significantly to the park’s beauty and reinforce its status as Israel’s most beautiful and best preserved national park.”

Shelby White, founder of the Leon Levy Foundation, explains that the preservation and restoration work was made possible by, among other things, the foundation’s donation. “When Leon and I visited Ashkelon in 1985,” she declares, “we had no idea that our connection to that ancient port would last for more than three decades. I am delighted that the odeon, one of the many archaeological discoveries made by Leon Levy’s expedition, is now being restored, and that Ashkelon’s famous Roman sculptures are being returned to their original location. Thanks to all this, visitors to Ashkelon National Park, from Israel and around the world, will be able to imagine this great city in all its ancient splendor.”

Pictured: the Roman basilica of Ashkelon from above

Israel, massive Roman basilica discovered; it is the largest in the country. It will be open to the public

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