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portrayed on most of the comparable mosaic
pavements (Table V.1). Three fishes swim towards
a Nilotic plant, and a youth pursues a pelican, on
a fragment of a mosaic upper panel at El-Hammam,
Beth She"an, probably from the Roman
period (Zori 1957; Schapiro and Avi-Yonah 1960:
15; Adler 2003: 72, pls. 79, 80). A fish is seen in
the Nile waves in the scene on the nave mosaic
of Zay al-Gharby (Piccirillo 1993: 324, fig. 677).
One fish is depicted in the Nilotic scene on a panel
of the mosaic at Jiyé, and a pair of fishes are on
its border (Ortali-Tarazi and Waliszewski 2000:
figs. 3, 4). The presence of fishes in the Nilotic
landscape emphasizes the river’s current and its
abundant water.
Birds
The most concentrated repertoire of types of birds
on a Nilotic scene—cormorants, doves, ducks,
geese, herons, and swan—is portrayed quite realistically
on the two floors of Tabgha (pl. V.8f;
Fig.V-2). A crane appears at Beth She"an and
Haditha (pls. V.1, 2). A flamingo killing a snake
appears at Tabgha, and at Sepphoris the bird in a
similar scene is probably a stork (fig. V-2, pl. V.3).
In earlier examples, such as the Nile mosaics of
Palestrina and the Casa del Fauno at Pompeii,
the theme is represented as a fight between a
mongoose and a cobra (pl. VII.6) (Balty 1976;
Meyboom 1995: 27, 243, note 74, figs. 15, 28;
see also the appearance of this scene in mosaics
with inhabited scrolls and with the Orpheus
design). A pair of ducks are portrayed at Haditha;
a duck resting in a lotus cup appears at Sepphoris,
Tabgha north transept, Emmaus, and Beth
Guvrin. Recurrent and popular motifs, which are
standard features of Nilotic scenes, include a pair
of swimming ducks and the motif of a duck resting
in a lotus cup (pl. V.8b,c,e), which became a
design for decorative use (Whitehouse 1979: 19,
44-45). Many of the plants and animals are realistically
depicted and reveal knowledge of the species
‘more than their place of origin’ (Hamarneh
1999: 187). Although many birds are portrayed
on these pavements they are differently rendered;
no single pattern seems to be their source.
Various hunting or animal assault episodes are
sometimes part of the Nilotic scenes, for example,
on the lower part of the Nile Festival mosaic
pavement at Sepphoris and on the border frieze
mosaic at el-Meqerqesh, Beth Guvrin. Some of
the Nilotic scenes also show activity by putti or
pygmies.
chapter five
The full scheme of the Nilotic scene with all
the iconographic elements (Table V.1) appears
only at Beth She"an. The city with towers, plants,
fishes, and birds appear on all the pavements.
The Nile personification is portrayed on the Beth
She"an and Sepphoris pavements. The Nilometer
is depicted on the Beth She"an, Tabgha, and Sepphoris
floors. The sailboat and animal combat is
rendered on the Beth She"an and Haditha mosaics.
At Sepphoris the buffalo-crocodile combat scene
and the sailing boat are missing. At Haditha, the
Nilometer and the Nile personification are omitted.
At Tabgha, the Nile personification, the buffalo-crocodile
combat scene and the sailing boat
are absent, and the pavements are almost completely
filled with Nilotic plants and birds while
human figures are absent. The most common elements
of Nilotica presented in these mosaics are
the water plants and birds, which appear on all
the floors, but at Beth She"an there are very few
of them. The representation of the city, named
‘Alexandria’ or ‘Egypt’, and the Nilometer seem
to be the most important elements even though
they appear only on some of these mosaic pavements.
Tabgha is the only pavement that might
have been chosen because of its close proximity
to water, the Sea of Galilee, whereas all the
other mosaic floors do not seem to have a specific
reason for the depiction of Nilotic landscapes. The
Sepphoris mosaic is the only one that portrays
the typical elements of the Nilotic theme, but in
addition it illustrates the festival celebration and
announcement of the Nile inundation.
C. Interpretation
The question arises whether the Nilotic scenes
have a specific meaning in their pagan, Jewish
and Christian contexts. The tradition of Nilotic
images goes back to the Hellenistic period. The
meaning and function of the Nilotic scenes is in
controversy—are they Egyptian or non-Egyptian.
Most scholars maintain a secular view, the Nilotic
scenes represent a phenomenon of using motifs of
exotic character for decorative purposes, mostly
with imaginative rather than realistic content, suggesting
affluence and well-being, with no allegorical-biblical
significance. Kitzinger (1965: 10;
1976: 52,54, 59) states that the Nilotic motifs were
geographic and topographic themes introduced
in the 5th century, and need not have any symbolic
meaning; it is impossible to say what was