Mosaics of Biodiversity

Palestinian farmer Salman al-Nabahin cleans the mosaic floor he uncovered while checking to see why new olive trees had not taken root. Photograph: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

The Middle East is fascinating in that the everyday activities of excavation often turn up treasures from bygone eras. This was the case not long ago when a Palestinian farmer and his son in a refugee camp om Gaza, near the border with Israel, decided to plant some olive trees and discovered a detailed Byzantine floor mosaic from the 5th to the 7th century CE showing colourful birds and other creatures. 

Doing a proper assessment of this beautiful mosaic is problematic because of location and I heard an archeologist expressing concern that while father and son had done a careful job of unearthing this work of art it is now exposed to the elements and could deteriorate quickly as a result. 

She also speculated that this could be evidence of a previously unknown monastery. There is another excavated monastery not far away, Saint Hilarion, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. This extensive site from at least a couple of centuries earlier was once an important station on the crossroads between Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia and it too has mosaic floors with depictions of creatures.

What strikes me is that so much time and creative energy was expended by early Christian communities to recognize the natural world, even in stylized form. We may think of monasteries and convents as communities hiding away from the world but they were often places of observation and contemplation of Creation and Creator. 

We've just received another bleak report from the World Wildlife Fund about the catastrophic decline of wildlife populations. Monitored populations — mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish — have seen a devastating 69 per cent drop on average since 1970. That's more than two thirds in a little more than 50 years. 

I hope this new archeological find will be adequately protected. I also hope humanity, including people of faith, will wake up to the loss of the glorious mosaic of biodiversity and the beauty around us in the air and sea and land. 

                                                               Mosaic -- Saint Hilarion Monastery