(Communicated by the Israel Antiquities Authority Spokesman)

An archeological excavation conducted at the Megiddo Prison by the Israel Antiquities Authority, a salvage dig ordered by the Israel Prisons Service prior to construction of a new prison wing, has uncovered rare finds of unusual significance to the Christian world.

The excavations were conducted with the cooperation of the Prisons Service. More than 60 prisoners from Megiddo and Tzalmon prisons participated in the excavations over a number of months.

A structure measuring c. 6x9m was excavated and found to contain fresco collapsed onto a mosaic floor bearing three Greek inscriptions, geometric patterns, and a medallion decorated with drawings of fish. The inscriptions were translated by Hebrew University Prof. Leah di Segni.

The inscription on the north side was dedicated to an army officer named Gaianos who contributed the mosaic floor.  The east inscription is dedicated to the memory of four women: Frimilia, Kiriaka, Dorothea, and Karasta.

The name Akaptos is memorialized in the western inscription as "Lover of God who contributed the altar to the god Jesus Christos, as a memorial."

Yotam Tepper, the excavation director on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, reports that "the wording of the inscriptions, letter forms, finds and other epigraphical features date the structure to the 3-4th centuries CE. Such 3-4th centuries structures are rare finds in the Land of Israel. Mosaics in general, and inscribed mosaics in particular from the 3rd and 4th centuries, are very rare, as is the wording of the inscription. This structure is indeed unique and significant to the understanding of the development of early Christianity into a recognized and official religion."

Excavations in the west and upper sections of Megiddo Prison yielded dwellings and other installations from the Byzantine period (4th-6th centuries). Layers below the Byzantine stratum were dated to the Roman period.

Additionally, a  large Roman period Jewish ritual bath (mikveh) was found. This is the second mikveh found at Megiddo Prison. The first was uncovered in a salvage excavation during the British Mandate period.

The excavation revealed that this mikveh was sealed during the Byzantine period and built upon later. These data match the known historic information about the site, and changes that occurred there in the transition from a Roman period Jewish settlement (Othnai village) to a Byzantine period Christian settlement (Maximianopolis).

The Antiquities Authority convened a meeting of approximately twenty experts for a special consultation at the site of the archaeological excavations at Megiddo Prison. Participating in the consultation, which was headed by Shuka Dorfman, Director-General of the Antiquities Authority, were Professor Michele Piccirillo - an expert in Christian archaeology from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Dr. Leah Di Segni - an expert in Greek epigraphy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Professor Joseph Patrich of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University and archaeologists and experts in conservation from the Antiquities Authority.
 
Upon the completion of the discussion it was concluded there is no doubt as to the importance of the archaeological discovery that was uncovered in the Megiddo Prison excavations; however, the excavation and study of the site should continue in order to confirm the dating of the building and its use. It was also decided to remove the mosaic from its location and transfer it to the conservation laboratories of the Antiquities Authority in order that it may undergo preliminary treatment. The removal of the mosaic from its location will also allow the Antiquities Authority to check for finds below it. Following the conservation treatment of the mosaic and the conclusion of the excavation, the Antiquities Authority will conduct further discussions at the end of which a determination will be made regarding the future of the site and the manner in which it will be exhibited to the public.