Two ancient tombs sites in southern Israel that date back nearly 2,000 years can soon be seen by modern eyes. The Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday said the tombs will be open to the public in October in an area that has been turned into an educational park. The tombs, discovered in the 1930s by British archaeologists, feature wall paintings of grape vines, animals, and mythological figures. The site in Ashkelon remained closed for its own protection for decades, until a renovation effort got underway.
"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. It's thought that tombs served as the resting place for aristocratic Romans about 1,700 years ago.
Another 2nd-century tomb that was found in the 1990s was relocated to the park from elsewhere in Ashkelon for preservation purposes. The park features numerous other archaeological finds, including ancient sarcophaguses and wine presses. Ashkelon, located about 10 kilometers north of the Gaza Strip, is rich in archaeological history, having been home to Philistines around 3,000 years ago. The city found itself under heavy rocket fire at the start of the war in in Gaza; some ships that worked on the failed US-built pier in Gaza ended up on Ashkelon's coast due to bad weather in May. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
