Israel opens tombs from Ancient Rome to the public for the first time: 'wonderful paintings'

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Magnificent murals on Roman-era Israeli tombs unearthed and open to the public

Tombs painstakingly restored by the Israel Antiquities Authority in what was Ashkelon under the Roman Empire are now available to visit by the general public. (Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority via Facebook)

Tombs dating back to the ancient Roman era have been opened to the public for the first time after a meticulous restoration process, according to an announcement from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The two tombs, estimated to be nearly 2,000 years old, were originally discovered by British archaeologists in the 1930s.
 
For nearly 100 years, the tombs were closed to the public to protect the paintings depicting vines, Roman deities, and mythological creatures.

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The tombs, located in Ashkelon, Israel about 6 miles from the Gaza Strip, were ultimately renovated when the city decided to make the site an educational park for public visits.

They are located within a stones' throw of the beach, and were likely a burial site for aristocratic Roman citizens in Ashkelon about 1,800 years ago.

A view of the archeological tomb site in Ashkelon, Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. The tomb with wall paintings depicting Greek mythological figures is at least 1,700 years old said the Israeli Antiquities Authority, whose workers are restoring the site. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

"This tomb has wonderful paintings that were preserved remarkably well, and that’s surprising considering that the time that has passed and the location next to the sea, the humidity, the sand, the winds, everything affects the plaster and the paintings," said Anat Rasiuk, an archaeologist with the Antiquities Authority to the Associated Press.

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The murals depict birds, children picking bunches of grapes, nymphs with lotus plants, and figures from Greek mythology that were adopted by the Romans like the head of Medusa and Demeter, the goddess of the harvest.

Some of the lime-based plaster paintings were removed from the tombs' walls and taken off-site for restoration, where others were painstakingly cleaned and given touch-ups that look the same as the ancient pigment on-site.

A worker touches up an ancient wall drawing of Greek goddess Demeter at an archeological tomb site in Ashkelon, Israel, Tuesday Aug. 27, 2024. The tomb where the painting was found is at least 1,700 years old, says the Israeli Antiquities Authority, whose workers are restoring the site. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The new educational park in Ashkelon will feature more archeological discoveries from ancient Roman times from around the city, like wine and olive presses and ancient sarcophaguses. 

Another tomb discovered in the 1990s has been relocated to the educational park site and preserved, also featuring similar murals.

A view of the archeological tomb site in Ashkelon, Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. The tomb with wall paintings depicting Greek mythological figures is at least 1,700 years old said the Israeli Antiquities Authority, whose workers are restoring the site. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Ashkelon was not just a Roman city, but also a Philistine one prior to that. Cemeteries discovered in the city date back to the early Iron Age, about 3,000 years ago.

Rockets in the early days of the war against Hamas affected Ashkelon, and materials from the U.S.-built pier ultimately beached on the coast of the Israeli city after some bad weather in early May.

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The Israel Antiquities Authority did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.