| Caesarea |
| Byzantine villa |
| Conservation of the “gold table” and preparation for its display |
| Orderer | Antiquities Authority – National Treasures Department ; The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco |
| Duration | September 2007 |
| Implemented by: |
Jacques Neguer - Conservation Guidance
Yael Gorin-Rosen - scientific guidance
Olga Finkelshtein
Olga Shor
Vladimir Bitman
Meir (Mark) Avrahami
Shuli Levinboim
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In February 2008 the exhibition “Highlights from the Israel Antiquties Authority: The Dead Sea Scrolls and 5,000 Years of Treasures” will open in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. The exhibition, which was put together at the initiative of the National Treasures Department of the Antiquities Authority and the San Francisco museum, will present unique archaeological finds from the country’s national treasures. Among the artifacts to be displayed is the ‘Gold Table’ from Caesarea.
In March 2005 Dr. Yosef Porath and Peter Gendelman re-exposed the ‘Bird Mosaic’ that first excavated by Professor Shmuel Yeivin in the 1950’s where parts of a prestigious mansion were revealed that dates to the Byzantine period. Part of a rare sigma table plated with glass arranged in different geometric shapes was discovered at the site. The glass elements were made using a rare technique that involves gold leaf or paint between two sheets of glass. The base of the table was not preserved.
The conservation of the table was made possible thanks to a contribution and it is being carried out in the laboratories of the Antiquities Authority at the Rockefeller Museum. The conservation process includes scientific research; detailed documentation of the find; the conservation of all of its fragments and their restoration so as to present the table in as complete a manner as possible. The table will be displayed atop a glass casting set inside a glass display case.
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For additional information see:
Yael Gurin-Rosen. Gold Glass Tiles from Caesarea – New Discoveries. The Thirty-Second Archaeological Conference in Israel.
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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