An early roman mosaic floor in the Jewish village of Magdala, Galilee

Abstract 
Mosaic floors during the Early Roman period in Galilee are uncommon decorations in settlements inhabited by a population which identified with the Judean ethos. Magdala is located in the western shore of the Sea of Galilee; it was founded during the Hellenistic period. The main occupation of this settlement occurred during the Early and Middle Roman periods. The population started to abandon these regions during said periods, and the population moved towards the southern areas, where late Roman remains can be found. In 2011 a mosaic floor was discovered in what has been identified as a ritual area. Art, as a cultural expression, is the key to understand ancient daily life, ethnicity, economic status and religious beliefs. The material cultures of the Galilean and Judean ethos during the First Century share a common and unique artistic style that differs from the one that existed in rest of the provinces of the Roman empire: it was created with Greco-Roman techniques, but depicts exclusively aniconic and geometric symbols; this produced a new style known as Herodian art. This paper aims to give one more case of study on ancient Magdala, its inhabitants, and its cultural identity, through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the mosaic floor found in one of the most characteristic structures of the site, the mikva’ot, or ritual baths area.