An ancient "face" dating back nearly 2,000 years has been cleaned up after a visitor to Zippori National Park in northern Israel spotted it peeking out from the earth.
According to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, which runs the Zippori park, the carved face was used to decorate spouts of baths or fountains. The spout, which has been identified as Roman-era, was discovered near one of the ancient bathhouses at Zippori by a visitor to the park. That visitor then notified the park manager, who reported the discovery to INPA archeologists.
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"Idolatrous waterspouts" of this type, termed "partzufa" in Jewish texts, were carved in the shape of humans, animals, or mythological creatures. Generally, they were attached to lead pipes, and water would spill out of the mouth of the face. Spouts of this type were used as decorations from the Hellenistic Period until the Middle Ages.
The Zippori spout is carved out of high-quality stone that appears to have been imported from the region of modern-day Turkey and features a lion's head with distinct human markings at the edges. It measures some 15 centimeters (six inches) across.
Traces of plaster found on parts of the spout indicate that after it was no longer used to embellish a fountain or a bath spout, it was used for some other purpose, and possibly plastered over to cover up the facial features.
INPA archaeologist Dr. Yossi Bordovich said that other such "faces" have been discovered at national parks at Hamat Gader, Beit Shean, and Caesarea.
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