Hiker Spots 1,700-Year-Old Limestone Busts in Northern Israel

News December 31, 2018

(Eitan Klein / IAA)
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Israel Roma Era Busts
(Eitan Klein / IAA)

BEIT SHE’AN, ISRAEL—The AFP reports that two Roman-era limestone carvings were discovered by a woman hiking outside the grounds of Beit She’an National Park, which is located in northern Israel. The life-size busts are thought to have been exposed by recent heavy rainfall. Eitan Klein of the Israel Antiquities Authority said both statues represent men, one of whom was bearded. Such statutes were usually placed near a burial cave, he added, and may have been intended to represent the deceased. To read about another recent discovery in Israel dating to the Roman era, go to "Sun and Moon."

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