Israeli archaeologists have painstakingly conserved a 1,500-year-old mosaic found on an ancient church floor that depicts unique scenes from a once vibrant Christian community in Egypt.

What distinguishes the Byzantine era mosaic from other finds in Israel is that this one portrays a church and a detailed map including streets and buildings believed to be located in Chortaso, an ancient Egyptian city on the Nile Delta associated with the biblical prophet Habakkuk.

“To see buildings depicted on mosaic floors is a rare find in Israel,” Sa‘ar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority who was involved with the project told The Blaze by phone Tuesday.

Based on the exterior depictions, archaeologists believe they could extrapolate some of the attributes of the ancient Egyptian church’s interior.

“The buildings are arranged along a main colonnaded street of a city, in a sort of ancient map,” the Antiquities Authority researchers said in a statement.

A Greek inscription seen next to one of the buildings depicted in the mosaic noted that the scene was from Chortaso where some Christians believe Habakkuk is buried.

Read the article “1,500-Year-Old Mosaic Found on Church Floor in Israel Depicts ‘Rare’ Scene from Neighboring Ancient Christian Community” on theblaze.com.