(Photo by Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority)
A 2,000-year-old Roman basilica complex has been uncovered in Ashkelon, on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. The structure, which measures roughly 360 feet long and 130 feet wide, was a multipurpose public building where Ashkelon’s residents would have socialized, conducted business transactions, and even attended theater performances. It includes a colonnade with marble columns standing some 40 feet tall as well as a central hall and two s