2,000-year-old Roman aristocrat tombs with wall paintings opened to public after conservation in southern Israel.
2,000-year-old tombs with exceptional wall paintings have been opened to the public in southern Israel after a dedicated conservation process. Discovered in the 1930s by British archaeologists, the tombs, located near Ashkelon, a Roman city at the time, are believed to be the burial place for aristocratic Romans around 1,700 years ago. The vibrant paintings on the walls depict mythological characters, Greek gods, and figures from nature. The site had been dormant for nearly a century before being transformed into an educational park, which includes several archaeological discoveries from Ashkelon, such as sarcophaguses, wine presses, and olive presses. The city has a rich history dating back to the early Iron Age, when it was home to the Philistines.