A Palestinian farmer in Gaza accidentally stumbled upon an elaborate Byzantine floor mosaic depicting a variety of colourful birds and other animals. The farmer was trying to plant new trees on his property.
A kilometre (0.6 miles) from the Israeli border, Salman al-Nabahin discovered the artefact six months ago while working in his olive orchard in the Bureij refugee camp.
Nabahin said he and his son started digging to try and determine why some trees had not fully rooted. Then the son’s axe struck something hard and strange-looking.
‘I did an internet search. We discovered that it was a mosaic from the Byzantine period,’ the father of seven, who was seated next to his find, stated. ‘I consider it to be more precious than a treasure. It is not personal; every Palestinian owns it.’
The flooring had numerous mosaic panels, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which show animals and other aspects of Byzantine society.
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