A Palestinian farmer in Gaza was working on his land, attempting to plant new trees, when he stumbled upon a mosaic floor from the Byzantine era.
The relic was uncovered in the Bureij refugee camp by Salman al-Nabahin nearly six months ago, CNN reported. The camp is about half a mile from the border with Israel.
Nabahin was trying to find out why his trees were not properly taking root, so he and his sons started digging when one of his kids hit something hard with his ax.
"I searched on the internet ... We learnt it was mosaic belonging to the Byzantine era," Nabahin told CNN. "I see it as a treasure, dearer than a treasure. It isn't personal, it belongs to every Palestinian."
The father of seven reached out to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities after finding out what he had unearthed. The ministry said that the flooring had several mosaic panels depicting social life during the Byzantine era as well as animals from the time, CNN reported.
"The archaeological discovery is still in its early stages, and we await to know more of the secrets and civilization values," the ministry said in a statement. "National research teams are working in partnership with international experts and scientists from the French Archaeology School."
It isn't known exactly when the mosaic was made, as the Byzantine Empire lasted from 395 to 1453.
However, Reuters shared that it is believed to be 1,300 to 1,500 years old.
Gaza is rich with all kinds of antiquities like the one that Nabahin discovered and is only the latest relic uncovered in recent years.
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