According to the Talmud, Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai convinced the Roman emperor to spare “Yavneh and its sages” before destroying Jerusalem in 70 CE. As a result, this city in the Galilee became for a time the major center of Jewish intellectual life. Archaeologists recently discovered a Byzantine-era mosaic there, JNS reports:
The flooring, which dates back to the . . . 4th or 5th century CE, was unearthed during large-scale excavations launched ahead of the development of a new neighborhood in the ancient city. The Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists Elie Haddad and Hagit Torgë said that though they initially believed the flooring to be “simple white mosaic paving belonging to yet another industrial installation,” [but] once they treated it with a special acid to remove its patina coat, “a colorful mosaic carpet was revealed, ornamented with geometric motifs.”
They assessed that the well-preserved flooring “may have been part of a splendid residential building in a wealthy neighborhood adjacent to the industrial zone.”
Read more on JNS: https://www.jns.org/1600-year-old-mosaic-pavement-unearthed-in-central-israel-to-be-placed-on-display/