New discovery reveals evidence of Noah's Ark and the parting of the Red Sea

'These scenes are very rare in ancient synagogues.'

Archeologists and researchers excavating at an ancient synagogue in Israel discovered evidence of Biblical calamities.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to Daily Mail, elaborate mosaics depicting the parting of the Red Sea and Noah's Ark were discovered.

A fifth century synagogue was decorated with floor to ceiling mosaics of Pharaoh's soldiers being swallowed by fish larger than a man, overturned chariots, a great ark, pairs of animals from different parts of the world and more.

Snakes, bears, lions, ostrich, camels, sheep, goats, elephants and more were depicted on the ancient walls and floor, a find only ever seen in four other countries.

Jodi Magness, the director of the excavations and professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's College of Arts and Sciences, explained: "These scenes are very rare in ancient synagogues. The only other examples that have been found are at Gerasa/Jerash in Jordan and Mopsuestia/Misis in Turkey, and at Khirbet Wadi Hamam in Israel and Dura Europos in Syria."

Three other schools, Baylor University, Bringham Young University and the University of Toronto, are also involved in the excavation.

Researchers claim the synagogue is old enough to have seen the Roman Empire ruling.

Since their discovery, the mosaics have been removed from the site for conservation purposes.

The first few mosaics were discovered in 2012 and include images of Samson and the foxes, Samson carrying the gate of Gaza on his shoulders and a scene with a Hebrew inscription in the center of a circle of humans, animals and mythological creatures.

Interestingly, most of the mosaics are Biblical but one shows a meeting between Alexander the Great and a then Jewish high priest.

It is the first non-Biblical mosaic ever to be discovered in an ancient synagogue.

More excavations are set to continue next summer, where Nathan Elkins, a coin specialist, will be working to protect ancient coins from looters and smugglers.

Elkins, a Ph.D. coin specialist and assistant professor of art history explained: "The ancient coins at Huqoq, which I study, span 2,300 years at the site and are critical for our knowledge of the monumental synagogue and the associated village."

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