A 6th century mosaic commemorating the founding of a hostel for Christian pilgrims has been found in Jerusalem near the Damascus Gate.
The Greek inscription reads “In the time of our most pious emperor Flavius Justinian, also this entire building Constantine the most God-loving priest and abbot, established and raised, in the 14th indiction”.
According to Dr Leah Di Segni, an expert on ancient Greek inscriptions at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said the inscription commemorates the founding of the building by a priest, Constantine, the priest.
“The inscription names the emperor Flavius Justinian,” Dr Di Segni said. “It seems that the building was used as a hostel for pilgrims.”
Dr Di Segni added that the word ‘indiction’ refers to an ancient method of counting years, for taxation purposes. “Based on historical sources, the mosaic can be dated to the year 550/551 AD,” she said.
David Gellman, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, described the survival of the inscription – located on what was the floor of the hostel – as an “archaeological miracle”.
“The excavation in a relatively small area, exposed ancient remains that were severely damaged by infrastructure groundwork over the last few decades. We were about to close the excavation, when all of a sudden, a corner of the mosaic inscription peeked out between the pipes and cables. Amazingly, it had not been damaged. Every archaeologist dreams of finding an inscription in their excavations, especially one so well preserved and almost entirely intact.”
Dr Gellman said the area near the Damascus Gate – the main northern entrance to the city, “is rich with archaeological remains”.
“In the Byzantine period, with the emergence of Christianity, churches, monasteries and hostels for pilgrims were built in the area north of the gate, and the area became one of the most important and active areas of the city,” he said.
The IAA said the two men mentioned in the inscription are well-known from both ancient historical sources and archaeological finds. The emperor Flavius Justinian, described as one the most important rulers of the Byzantine period, established a large church in Jerusalem, dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, in 543 AD. Known as the Nea Church, it was the largest church built in Jerusalem and one of the largest in the entire empire. Constantine was one of the abbots of the church.
Remains of the Nea Church were partially excavated in 1970 as part of excavations carried out in Jerusalem immediately following the Six Day War in 1967.
The inscription, which is similar to another one found in the vaults of the Nea Church, was found during groundwork during infrastructure work for a phone cable. It has been removed from the site and is now being treated in the IAA’s mosaic workship.
