Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed a mosaic floor with the inscription “Peace to the Elders” in Greek, dating to the late 4th to early 5th century CE. The fragment was found in the ancient city of Hippos in Galilee and likely belonged to a building that served as a home for the elderly, one of the first institutions of its kind in history.
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The mosaic is decorated with images of Egyptian geese, cypresses, fruits and vessels, while the alpha and omega symbols indicate the Christian origin of the object. What makes the find unique is that it is not a church or a wealthy home, but a social institution reflecting the community’s care for the elderly outside of family structures, possibly linked to the birth of the monastic way of life.
