ByzantineEra

Israeli Dig Uncovers Byzantine-Era Church Drawings of Ships Carrying Christian Pilgrims

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JERUSALEM, Israel – Excavators from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered Byzantine-era church walls from 1,500 years ago containing drawings of ships in a dig south of the Bedouin Arab town of Rahat. The location is north of the Israeli city of Beersheva and east-southeast of the Gaza Strip. “These intriguing drawings may have been … Read more

Turkey converts another former Byzantine-era church into a mosque, draws ire of Greece

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The former Byzantine cathedral has been turned into a mosque. (Photo: Unsplash/Engin Akyurt) Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially inaugurated a former Byzantine-era church previously known as the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, a United Nations World Heritage Site, as a mosque this week, drawing condemnation from the Greek government. The change is … Read more

Rare Byzantine-Era Discovery Points to Early Church Built on Temple Mount Before Muslim Invasion

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The recent discovery of two Byzantine-era coin weights is pointing to the possibility of a Christian presence on the Temple Mount before the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in the seventh century, according to an archeological research journal.  The Temple Mount Sifting Project announced last week the discovery of two unique Byzantine coin weights, both of … Read more