An ancient Christian mosaic from Israel is on public display for the first time at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
The sprawling Megiddo Mosaic was discovered in 2005 during a prison expansion in northern Israel. Some experts believe the mosaic tile floor with Greek inscriptions — including "To God Jesus Christ" — was located in the world's first Christian prayer hall.
“You couldn't just lift the whole floor up,” Museum of the Bible interim Chief Curatorial Officer Bobby Duke said. “So, it was brought to us in about 11 different crates, and they very intricately cut different pieces of the mosaic so that they didn't destroy any of the artwork. So, not all the pieces were the same size. So, even one of the crates that came into this gallery was about a thousand pounds.”
Many archaeologists have been critical that the mosaic was removed from its original location and was put on display at the Museum of the Bible.
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Duke said it was done in partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority and the archaeology community there to display the mosaic to the public.
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