Saturday, February 16, 2013

Terracotta under glass

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The window is reflected in the showcase and also on the glass floor.
In the display case are Roman roof tiles stamped LXFRE. 


The tiles and many other ceramic elements were manufactured here, under the floor of the Jerusalem convention center, in a Roman kiln, some 1,900 years ago. 
LXFRE  stands for Legio X Frentensis,  the famous Tenth Legion of the Roman Empire. 

The kilns were discovered I think in the 1950s, when the foundations were being dug for the huge Binyanei HaUma convention hall. 
Two of the kilns were left in situ and the building was built over them. 
Sometimes (rarely), the basement room is unlocked and you can go in and observe the antiquities up close instead of through glass. 
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See a Roman soldier's sandal print in one tile in an earlier post and in this one too.
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(Linking to Weekend Reflections and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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14 comments:

  1. cela doit etre tres interressant a voir,bon w end !

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  2. Nice catch on these multiple reflections... And thanks for sharing the story of this place ; I'm always very fond of archeologia.

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  3. Great reflections, and it is awesome that the tiles are so old.

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  4. awesome history so near



    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    ~ > < } } ( ° > <3

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  5. That's a fantastic solution to two needs—preserve the ancient kilns while constructing a new building. Well done!

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  6. Ah yes! That brings the past to life!

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  7. I just found the website of a Roman Legion reenactment group in Texas and it is called Legio X Fretensis...

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  8. Wow, that's a great composition, I love all the reflections going on here. I haven't seen that particular floor, but there's a similar archaological find through a window in the floor of the Ramat Rachel hotel. I love this country :)

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  9. This reminds me of the Roman city under the Verona current grounds.

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  10. Interesting old history, and a great reflection from you!

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  11. Even though I can't tell if the wall is made from glass bricks, I must tell you I LOVE glass bricks. They were hugely popular in the Deco period (1925-39) and should be used more often now.

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  12. So much history! This is amazing!

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