The Israel Nature and Parks Authority revealed an ornamental relic, known in Mishnaic Hebrew as “partzufa” or “human face”, which was used in ancient times as a decorative tap in bathhouses, lily ponds and water fountains, was discovered recently near the ancient bathhouse in the Zipori National park.
Zipori used to be the capital of the Galilee, and the seat of the Sanhedrin after the fall of Jerusalem. The Mishna project was completed there in the second century CE.
Since 1990 large areas of Zippori have been excavated, illuminating the written history of the city through incredible mosaics which line the floor. The remains of the ancient city are now a national park and attest to the uniquely pluralistic quality of Zippori over the centuries. The sites include a Roman theater, a Jewish residential quarter, ritual baths, churches and many, many mosaics including, notably the ‘Mona Lisa of the Galilee’.