Jerusalem Post: Caesarea Archaeological finds spark debate

Part of a Byzantine wall discovered in Caesarea
Photo source: Com&Sense Communications in The Jerusalem Post The Jerusalem Post reported (Feb. 14) on claims that the Caesarea Development Company is pressuring the Israel Antiquities Authority to forfeit its control over certain areas currently marked as a recreational, nature zone despite "finds in recent weeks" that include "portions of a Herodean wall, as well as a Byzantine mosaic and a necropolis." This seems to be basically another round of publicity for a report coming just a couple of weeks after a similar report in Globes (via PaleoJudaica).


The opus sectile glass panel with gilded plates on the bottom right
Photo source: Orly Feister and Niki Davidov, via IAA It seems to me that these do not relate to the excavations reported five months ago that described various rare finds relating to a mansion in Caesarea. Perhaps they come as a follow up to those excavations. While those finds, including a glass opus sectile panel with glass gilded and colored platelets, have received wide publicity, very few photos have been released with the news reports. So here are various links and references that include such images.

Links:

• "The Palace of the Bird Mosaic", an official Israel Antiquities Authority report on the 2005 discoveries in Hebrew and English.
• "Who lived in Caesarea 1500 years ago?" (Hebrew), by Dr. Zohar Guri. The article, from a children's science monthly magazine, includes beautiful pictures of the Bird Mosaic and the opus sectile panel.
• Another photo of the decorated panel, apparently from the press release in September
• An informative page on the Caesarea National Park from the Israeli National Parks Authority.

References:

• Porath, Y. "The Israeli Viewpoint, Archaeology: The golden opus sectile panel". National Geographic (Hebrew edition). 86 (2005).
• Reich, Rony. "A Figurative Mosaic at Caesarea". ^cAtiqot (English Series) XVII (1985):206-212.
• Porath, Y., Gorin-Rosen, Y., and Nager, J. "A glass opus sectile panel from Caesarea, Israel". Journal of Glass Studies. 2006. (forthcoming)