A 2000-year-old architectural structure was found just a few meters off the Mediterranean Coast in Ashkelon. Dated back to the time of King Herod, the massive plot was uncovered through the Israel Antiquities Authority as part of a project to restore part of the Tel Ashkelon National Park. The structure, now the largest in Israel, had a central part and two side parts and is adorned with plant motifs and even an eagle, which is thought to be a Roman symbol.
Dr. Rachel Bar Nathan, Director of IAA, says that “The basilica was first discovered in the 1920s by British archaeologist John Garstang who led an expedition on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund and then covered the structure once again.”
In 2008 and again in 2016, the IAA decided to excavate and develop the area, finding a theater, old coins, and other artifacts. The basilica was not used for religious purposes but is thought to have been a central public meeting place, situated with marble columns. Bar Nathan adds, “When we excavated the basilica we realized that while the original structure did date back to the time of Herod, as Garstang thought, the more grandiose elements, the marbles, the columns, were built later, around the 2nd-3rd century CE, the time of emperor Septimius Severus style.”
The Tel Ashkelon National Park is the first national park of Israel, opened in the 1960s. Its location alongside the sea, natural dunes, and a bevy of antiquities allow for the park to be “constantly evolving and renewing for the benefit of visitors from all over the country,” says Shaul Goldstein, the CEO of Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
