What is the Lod mosaic?
The Lod Mosaic is a mosaic floor dated to 300 AD, discovered in 1996 in the Israeli town of Lod. Believed to have been created for a private villa, it is one of the largest and best-preserved mosaic floors from the Roman Empire era.
It depicts land animals, fish, and two Roman ships. Of exceptional quality and in an excellent state of conservation, the Lod mosaic is believed to belong to a large and rich Roman house and is dated to about A.D. 300.
Beyond natural animals, the Lod Mosaic includes the mythical creature Ketos in a large expanse of water, which may represent the distant lands and creatures found in and beyond the Oceanus, an ocean that was believed to surround the ancient world. it is one of the largest, measuring 180 m² and best-preserved Roman mosaic floors and it is similar to mosaics from Pompeii.
The mosaic was discovered accidentally by construction workers widening a street in Israel. It depicts birds, fish, animals, and plants, and images of two Roman-era ships.