Roman House Unearthed in Israel

News February 21, 2017

(Dan Schowalter)
SHARE:
Israel Omrit Roman House
(Dan Schowalter)

 

OMRIT, ISRAEL—A house built in the late first or early second century A.D. has been unearthed at the ancient site of Omrit in northern Israel, reports Live Science. A team led by Carthage College archaeologist Daniel Schowalter excavated the building and found that its floor was covered in plaster and its walls were decorated with elaborate frescoes. The surviving images depict bucolic scenes of trees, plants, and fish, as well as two ducks that appear to be huddling together. Schowalter believes the house may have been built for a Roman official, but that it's also possible a wealthy local could have lived there and commissioned the Roman-style frescoes. The team also unearthed several amulets in the shape of phalluses, which were thought to ward off misfortune during the Roman period. To see elaborate frescoes dating to the same era, go to “Romans on the Bay of Naples.”  

  • Features January/February 2017

    Top 10 Discoveries of 2016

    ARCHAEOLOGY’s editors reveal the year’s most compelling finds

    Read Article
  • Features January/February 2017

    Hoards of the Vikings

    Evidence of trade, diplomacy, and vast wealth on an unassuming island in the Baltic Sea

    Read Article
    (Gabriel Hildebrand/The Royal Coin Cabinet, Sweden)
  • Features January/February 2017

    Fire in the Fens

    A short-lived settlement provides an unparalleled view of Bronze Age life in eastern England

    Read Article
    (Andrew Testa/New York Times/Redux)
  • Letter from Laos January/February 2017

    A Singular Landscape

    New technology is enabling archaeologists to explore a vast but little-studied mortuary complex in war-damaged Laos

    Read Article
    (Jerry Redfern)