Nuevos y viejos mosaicos del domus romano de lod, israel. El estado de la investigación a 23 años de su descubrimiento

Since its accidental discovery in 1996, the Roman mansion in Lod (Diospolis), Israel, has been exposed in successive salvage excavations. The site consists of eight archaeological strata, but the following article focus mainly on Stratum VI, dated to the late Roman period (late 3^rd century A.D. to early 4^th century A.D.). In this stratum a lavish Roman house has been discovered, with splendid mosaics combining artistic influences from North Africa (Africa Proconsularis) with motifs from the west of the empire. These depict highly realistic scenes of the animal kingdom as well as detailed marine scenes including fish, mythological creatures and merchant ships. The mosaic of the main triclinium, which had significant media coverage, was exhibited in the world’s most important museums. Excellent preserved mosaics were also discovered in a peristyle courtyard and in a second, smaller triclinium. The richness of the mosaics, the realism and perfection of the figures, as well as the excellent state of preservation in which it was discovered, make the Mosaic of Lod one of the most outstanding samples of the opulence and power of the city. These mosaics, added to others previously discovered in the vicinity, sug-gest that we are in a neighborhood where the political, economic and cultural elite of this important city lived during its days of glory and splendor.