Birds Mosaic, Byzantine mosaic floor in Caesarea Maritima, Israel
The Birds Mosaic is a Byzantine floor at Caesarea Maritima featuring approximately 120 round medallions with different bird species arranged in diagonal patterns. The border contains depictions of lions, leopards, and bears that frame the composition.
The mosaic belonged to a Byzantine palace built around 600 AD. The structure was destroyed during the Arab conquest roughly 40 years later.
The medallions display various bird species like flamingos, ducks, and peacocks with attention to their natural forms and colors. This choice reflects how the inhabitants connected beauty and animals in their daily surroundings.
Allow time to closely observe the details of the medallions and decorative elements scattered across the surface. The site is accessible to visitors and it makes sense to visit during cooler parts of the day for comfortable walking.
Beneath this floor lay a water collection system with a plastered cistern designed to capture rainwater due to the elevation above the aqueduct. This hidden infrastructure reveals how practical engineering and artistic beauty merged in this palace.
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