Remanent of Ancient “Nursing Home” Found in Israel

IFCJ Canada  |  August 22, 2025

The Jerusalem Post reports that University of Haifa researchers have discovered a 1,600-year-old mosaic at Sussita (Hippos) National Park – the former site of a primarily Christian city during the Byzantine period. The mosaic, estimated to date back to the late fourth or early fifth century CE, has an inscription reading “Peace on the elders” in Greek.

According to Dr. Michael Eisenberg, co-director of the excavation project, the finding provides “living proof that care and concern for the elderly… were part of social institutions and concepts already 1,600 years ago.” The research was published in the academic journal Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik.

The mosaic was found within a decorated medallion, positioned near the intersection of the city’s main streets, the Decumanus Maximus and the Cardo. Researchers, including Eisenberg and Dr. Arleta Kowalewska from the University of Haifa and Prof. Gregor Staab from the University of Cologne, analyzed the inscription’s linguistic and stylistic features, comparing it to historical records from the Byzantine era that mention institutions for older adults.

The mosaic’s location, situated at the entrance to a public building, suggests the inscription was highly visible to those entering. The surrounding imagery, which includes Egyptian water lilies, cypress trees, fruits, and vessels, further supports the idea that the structure had a special, spiritual purpose.

The Byzantine era began when Constantine I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and moved its capital from Rome to Constantinople. The ancient people of the Byzantine period were in effect creating what we would now know as nursing homes. Caring for the elderly is deeply rooted in biblical principles – “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone,” Psalm 71:9 tell us – and remains one of the pillars of The Fellowship’s work to this day.