Event Details

End: May 29, 2016
Contact: mariolga@newstravelsfast.biz
More Info: https://thefrost.fiu.edu/

Due to popular demand the Lod exhibition has been extended through May 29th.

Miami Welcomes the World Tour Exhibition

PREDATORS AND PREY

A ROMAN MOSAIC FROM LOD, ISRAEL

─ Archaeological Treasure’s World Tour Continues at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU, February 10 through May 15  ─

─ Seen at Major Museums: The Louvre in Paris, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia  ─

The Miami presentation of the Lod Mosaic is generously
underwritten by Patricia & Phillip Frost


Visitors to South Florida can meet a true “Roman Rock Star” up close in the magnificent Lod Mosaic, a 3rd-century CE Roman Mosaic from the Eastern Roman Empire in modern-day Israel. 

The mosaic continues its transcontinental tour at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU, the Smithsonian affiliate in Miami. Presented in association with the Israel Antiquities Authority, the mosaic has attracted crowds at the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Hermitage Museum in Russia.

The exhibition in Miami (opens February 10, closes May 15) has been generously underwritten by the museum’s patrons Patricia and Phillip Frost and provides a rare opportunity to to see one of the world’s finest, largest and most well-preserved ancient mosaics up close. 

This spectacular discovery is lauded for its remarkable state of preservation.Because Miami’s peak tourism season coincides with the exhibition, travelers from all over the world who flock to the sunshine capital during the winter will also be able to witness the 1,700-year-old masterpiece.  

Critics and reviewers have heralded the artist who created this masterwork as one of the world’s greatest mosaic artists ever, and have called this mosaic superstar “The Roman Rock Star.”

A Spectacular Example of Preserving World Cultural Heritage Sites:

With Far-Reaching Importance Today

Especially during today’s troubled times with heritage sites in danger in war-torn areas, the Lod Mosaic provides a spectacular example of rescue archaeology and conservation. 
The Israel Antiquities Authority saved the Lod Mosaic after it was discovered by a construction crew during a 1996 excavation to widen a roadway. 




The Lod Mosaic dates back to the 3rd century CE when the town of Lod was a part of the Roman Empire. The exquisitely detailed mosaic is believed to be the floor of a large audience room, in a grand villa owned by a wealthy Roman merchant whose trade route crossed between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean. 

The exhibition’s title, “Predators and Prey,” references the marvelous menagerie of exotic animals portrayed. The mosaic is of no religious affiliation, residents at the time were mostly Pagans, Christians and Jews.




The Lod Mosaic is one of the most-viewed Israeli touring exhibitions in history.When the Israel Antiquities Authority originally excavated the mosaic and opened it to the public for only one weekend, more than 30,000 people traveled to Lod to see the ancient marvel during the two-day period.





Historical Background

The Israeli town of Lod stands on the site of the ancient city of Lydda, which developed in a fertile plain on an important trade route, the Via Maris, from Egypt to Syria and Mesopotamia. A center of culture and craft production, after being destroyed by the Romans in 66 CE during the first Jewish-Roman War, the city was rebuilt with the name Diospolis, the “city of Zeus.”

Around 200 CE, Septimius Severus made it a Roman colony. Archaeologists have calculated that more than two million tesserae (ancient tiles) were used to create the 1,700-year-old masterwork.



Three central panels were chosen from the excavation for the traveling exhibition, two rectangular end panels surrounding a large square central medallion. Featured are indigenous animals coexisting with ferocious wild creatures such as lions and tigers, an elephant and a giraffe, and Asian water buffalo, plus marine life, a sea monster and merchant ships.



The mosaic holds unresolved mysteries, adding to its allure. Why are there no deities or human beings portrayed, something highly unusual for such a grand floor mosaic from this time period? 

Mosaic pavements were integral to ancient architecture, and the traveling exhibition is uniquely displayed on the floor as it was meant to be seen.  

The Past Has a Future

Flash-forward 1,700 years and the current municipality of Lod and the Israel Antiquities Authority have recognized this opportunity to create a tourism center focusing on its newly-recovered ancient mosaics. After its exhibition in Miami at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU, the mosaic will return to Lod where the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Center is currently under construction.  



The Lod Mosaic is on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Center.


 

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU, the Smithsonian Affiliate in Miami, opened its current 46,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building in November 2008. Admission to the Museum is always free. The Frost is an American Alliance of Museums accredited museum, and is located at 10975 SW 17  Street, across from the Blue Garage and adjacent to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and most legal holidays.

305-348-2890 thefrost.fiu.edu

 

---

What the world is saying about the Lod Mosaic




— "Of exceptional Quality"
 

 

— "In a remarkable state of preservation"
 

— "Full of mysteries still to be resolved"


— "One of the largest and finest in Israel"





— "Best Floor Show Ever!"





— "The Rockstar of Roman Pavements"



— "The Crown Jewel ... the artist who made it was the greatest mosaic artist to ever work in this land"




— "An artistic masterpiece ... a worthy example of what rescue archaeology can do"


Videos from the Israel Antiquities Authority: 
 

(Interview with Israeli archaeologist Miriam Avissar of the Israeli Antiquities Authority)