In 1930, R.W. Hamilton, director of the British Mandate Antiquities Department, carried out the only archaeological excavation ever undertaken at the Temple Mount's Aqsa Mosque by the British Mandate, the excavations show a Byzantine mosaic floor underneath the mosque that was likely the remains of a church or a monastery. In addition to the Byzantine mosaic, R.W. Hamilton also found a paving slab in the floor bearing the image of a centaur, dated to the 3rd century CE. It is believed this tile may be related to pagan religious construction on the Temple Mount during the Roman Period (135-325 CE).