Archaeologists uncover 'intriguing' stone engravings in Gaza that were made by Christians 1,500 years ago

Fifteenth-century Christian pilgrims left an 'intriguing' drawing on a port in Gaza as they traveled to other sites throughout Israel, archaeologists have revealed.

The sketches - thought to be about 1,500 years old - depict a two-masted ship with no sail but a small flag flying in the upper section.

Although the ship is an old symbol of Christianity, the archaeologists believe it is a true depiction of the boat the pilgrims journeyed on. 

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered etchings in an ancient Rahat church where archaeologists have conducted excavations since 2019. 

It is thought that the Christians who traveled to the 'Holy Land' first stopped in Gaza on their way to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and other monasteries in the Negav Hills.

Archaeologists found slabs of stone engraved with pictures of ships that appeared to be drawn by 15th Century Christian pilgrims Pictured: A two-masted ship with no sail but a small flag flying in the upper section

The discovery was made in the ancient Rehat Church located near the Negav Desert and adjacent to the main road that would have led the pilgrims to other religious sites

Archaeologists reported that the Church site where the drawings were discovered is adjacent to the ancient Roman road leading from the Gaza port along the Mediterranean coast to Beer Sheva, the main city of Negav.

This was the most likely route the pilgrims would have taken to reach Israel's sacred sites, the IAA said in a Facebook post.

Read More

Pompeii's hidden graffiti revealed: Ancient drawings depicting gladiators were made by children as young as five after watching the Roman fighters 2,000 years ago, experts say

'It is reasonable that their first stop after alighting from the ships in Gaza port was this very church revealed in our excavations south of Rahat,' the team involved in the excavation said, adding: 'This site lies only a half-days walk from the port.'

The church that housed the drawings dates back to the Byzantine era which was the start of the early Middle Ages, leading the researchers to believe the artwork was from that time period.

'This is a greeting from Christian pilgrims arriving by ship to Gaza port,' excavation directors Oren Shmueli, Dr. Elena Kogan-Zehavi and Dr. Noé David Michael said.

'Pilgrims visited the church and left their personal mark in the form of ship drawings on its walls,' the team continued.

'The ship is indeed an old Christian symbol, but in this case— apparently, it is a true graphical depiction of real ships in which the pilgrims traveled to the Holy Land.'

The first image (pictured) shows a line drawing with a slightly pointed bow and oars on either side of the vessel, making it appear to be an aerial view of the ship.

Archaeologists have worked at the site for several years and the drawings now provide 'first-hand evidence' about how the pilgrims traveled to Israel at that time

The first image shows a line drawing with a slightly pointed bow and oars on either side of the vessel, making it appear to be an aerial view of the ship.

However, 'it seems the artist was attempting a three-dimensional drawing,' said Prof. Deborah Cvikel of the University of Haifa's Department of Maritime Civilizations. 

'It may be that the lines below it portray the path beaten by the oars through the water. Ships or crosses left by visiting Christian pilgrims as witnesses to their visit are also found in Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre church.'

A second drawing indicated that the artist was familiar with maritime life, the IAA said, because the foremast leans toward the bow and doesn't have a sail, known as an artemon which was used to help steer the ship.

Both stones were found upside down, which might have meant the person who placed the stone during the church's construction either didn't know the slab bore a drawing or didn't care, according to the IAA. 

'This surprising and intriguing find of ship drawings in a Northern Negev Byzantine-period church opens a window for us to the world of Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land 1,500 years ago,' Israel Antiquities Authority Director Eli Escusido said.

The discovery 'provides first-hand evidence about the ships they traveled in and the maritime world of that time,' he added.