ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Mosaic of Rehob

Okay kiddo, imagine you have a picture made up of little squares of different colors, like a patchwork quilt or a puzzle. That's kind of like what a mosaic is - it's an artwork made up of lots of tiny, individual pieces that come together to make a bigger picture.

Now, the Mosaic of Rehob is a special kind of mosaic that archaeologists found in a place called Tel Rehov in Israel. See, a long, long time ago (we're talking thousands of years here), there was a city called Rehov that was ruled by kings and queens. People would create art to decorate their homes and their holy places, and one of the ways they did this was by making mosaics.

The Mosaic of Rehob is a big, beautiful mosaic that was made on the floor of a big, important building - we're not sure what kind of building, but it was probably fancy, like a palace or a big temple. The mosaic is almost 60 feet long and 26 feet wide, which is as big as two school buses put together!

Now remember how I said mosaics are made from lots of little pieces? Well, the Mosaic of Rehob is made up of over 1.5 million little pieces of stone and glass! That's like trying to count to a million, but with all different colors and shapes.

The pieces of the mosaic all fit together perfectly, like a giant puzzle. They show all kinds of things, like animals (like lions and deer), flowers, and people doing different tasks (like weaving, making bread, and playing musical instruments). It's really cool because it gives us a peek into what life was like a long time ago, and what the people of Rehov valued and thought was important.

Archaeologists discovered the Mosaic of Rehob in the year 1997, buried under the ground. They had to carefully dig it up and clean it off so they could study it and preserve it for future generations to see. Today, you can go to museums and see pictures of the mosaic or even see parts of it in person if you're lucky enough to visit Israel!