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110 chapter five
The ‘inhabited scroll’ became one of the most widespread motifs during the 6th century CE, and appeared throughout the Levant; it was especially popular on mosaic floor carpets of synagogues and churches, but also decorated floors of villas, baths, and funerary chambers. The motif is also referred to as ‘peopled scroll’ and ‘rinceau’. It originated in Hellenistic and Roman art, and developed in the mosaic art of North Africa (Avi- Yonah 1936: 19-20; Toynbee and Ward Perkins 1950; Maguire 1987: 60), apparently from the Hellenistic garland with vine leaves and grapes (Levi 1947, I: 490-517; Dauphin 1987: 183-212; Merrony 1998: 446-448). The inhabited scroll 1 is designed as a symmetrical and geometrically pattered and rigid carpet composition covering the entire floor evenly (Kitzinger 1965b: 24). Vine branches and trellises issue from an amphora or an acanthus leaf, or from four amphorae or acanthus leaves, one in each corner. They form regular, almost geometrically circular, medallions. These are occupied by animals, birds and objects that contribute to the harmonious and integrated impression and sense of uniformity created by these carpets. The scrolls are inhabited by images framed within their curls consisting of animals, birds, various objects, and occasionally human figures in genre scenes, such as hunting, and rural activities (see the extensive research of the inhabited scroll theme by Dauphin 1976, 1978a, b, 1980, 1987, 1994: 10-13). The inhabited vine scroll design was commonly used on religious and secular structures in the Levant, especially during the 6th century, on church and synagogue pavements; it is almost absent from villas (Merrony 1998: 443-4). The popularity of the motif is explained by Biebel (1938: 302) ‘by its variable form capable of indefinite extension in a vertical or horizontal direction according to the space to be filled, and at the same time the definite rhythm and the ‘inhabited scrolls’ mosaic pavements 111 CHAPTER SIX THE ‘INHABITED SCROLLS’ MOSAIC PAVEMENTS— A SIXTH-CENTURY TREND 1 In this study ‘inhabited scroll’ is preferred to ‘peopled scroll’, coined by Toynbee and Ward-Perkins 1950; see also Dauphine 1978a: 400 and n.4. compactness which it achieves by the repetition of the circular medallions’ (see also Kitzinger 1976a: 70-71; 1977: 89; on the development of the inhabited scroll motif in border and field mosaics see Dauphin 1987: 183-185; Lists 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 13). Biebel (1938: 302-3) divided this motif into two types: the medallions issuing from one central point, an amphora or an acanthus leaf, or spreading out from four amphorae or acanthus leaves, one in each corner (also Toynbee and Ward-Perkins 1950). Lavin (1963: 218-222) further defined these two groups, showing the vertical nature of Biebel’s first group and the diagonal nature of his second (see also Dauphin 1976b, 1987: 188-189; Merrony 1998). Levi (1947: 504-516) describes the progression and ‘the complete degeneration of the vegetable motif into a purely ornamental element’. Dauphin (1987: 184-185) contends that in Arabia and Palaestina a 6th-century innovation consisted of a border of inhabited acanthus scrolls enclosing an inhabited vine field on the same mosaic pavement (see Table VI-1,2). The overall motif of the inhabited scrolls on mosaic pavements was treated as a unit, with the accent on the point of departure of the scrolls—again, by a vase or acanthus leaf flanked by birds or animals or by vases or acanthus leaves stemming from four points. Dauphin (1987: 191) summed up thus: ‘the pavement has become a “carpet” dominated by a repetitive, geometricized pattern, thus a “carpet design”’. Merrony (1998: 465) argues that ‘in Roman villae, the vine was associated with vintaging and Dionysiac scenes, whilst on Early Byzantine Christian pavements, the vine was essentially used as a compositional device’. A. The Compositions The principal design of the inhabited vine scrolls mosaic floors fields is an all-over pattern of a conservative and stereotype space composition, which divides the floor into formalized, geometricized circular medallions of vine-trellis and can be assembled into five distictive groups according to
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294 glossary
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Ψ ή φ ο ς ס פ י ס פ Ancie
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contents To my beloved granddaughte
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contents CONTENTS List of Color Pla
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contents C Pastoral and Rural Scene
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list of color plates xi LIST OF COL
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list of color plates xiii V.4 Nilom
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list of color plates xv Mt. Nebo; g
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list of color plates xvii Authority
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list of figures xix LIST OF FIGURES
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list of figures xxi Figure IV-15. D
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list of figures xxiii Figure VIII-5
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list of figures xxv LIST OF TABLES
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foreword xxvii FOREWORD התדיב
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One of the most significant and fru
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pavement at Caesarea the word is sp
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mosaic pavements adorning buildings
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mosaic pavements adorning buildings
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mosaic pavements adorning buildings
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mosaic pavements adorning buildings
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mosaic pavements adorning buildings
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mosaic pavements adorning buildings
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Introduction: Jewish Figurative Art
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Figure II-3. Beth "Alpha synagogue:
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to the Sefer HaRazim Yahoweh reside
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ut all served as repositories for t
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pomegranates and cups (Hachlili 200
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open ark with scrolls is depicted,
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are rendered in non-identical symme
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pavements of Samarian synagogues an
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of two columns surmounting an arche
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A group of ancient synagogues disco
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the zodiac panel and its significan
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the zodiac panel and its significan
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the zodiac panel and its significan
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the zodiac panel and its significan
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the bust of the season Nisan (Sprin
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The Summer attributes, the sickle a
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Table III-1. Comparative chart of t
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Figure III-12. Part of a stone ceil
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A Roman villa at Odos Triakosion in
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the four seasons, representing the
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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Noah’s Ark biblical narrative the
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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Jonah biblical narrative themes and
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iblical narrative themes and images
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iblical narrative themes and images
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Nilotic scenes are a recurrent them
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iconographic elements of nilotic sc
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I.1 Masada mosaic pavements: a. ant
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I.3 Jerusalem, Upper City, pavement
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II.1 Torah shrine panels on synagog
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II.3 Comparable shrines on Jordan m
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III.1 Hammath Tiberias synagogue zo
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III.3 Beth "Alpha synagogue zodiac
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III.5 Sun God on synagogue pavement
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III.7 Zodiac signs on synagogue pav
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III.9 Zodiac signs on synagogue pav
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III.11 The four seasons on synagogu
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IV.1 Binding of Isaac on synagogue
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IV.3 David-Orpheus on the Gaza syna
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IV.5 The Orpheus mosaic, Jerusalem.
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IV.7 Sepphoris synagogue, The Conse
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V.1 Nilotic scene at Beth Leontis,
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V.3 Nilotic scene at Sepphoris Nile
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eagle. Another Nilotic scene appear
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shown standing on the river bank as
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The depiction of a putto riding a c
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Table V.1. Nilotic Elements on Byza
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Nile Festival mosaic, with the addi
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donkey. Lively animal chase scenes
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naturalistic in execution, and unli
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which contains objects flanked by s
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Figure VI-7. Group II: Jerusalem, t
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the outer ones; the second survivin
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Table VI-1a. Composition and Repert
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Group III consists of the mosaics e
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the ‘inhabited scrolls’ mosaic
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Figure VI-13. Beth She"an, Monaster
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Figure VI-15. Sede Nahum mosaic fra
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Table VI-2a. (Cont.) Mosaic Date ce
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Table VI-2b. (Cont.) Mosaic Date ce
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In the south aisle of St. George ch
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four amphorae in the centre of the
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On Jordanian mosaics, in the acanth
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to have grapes of both styles (pl.
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ightly observes that the different
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grape harvesting, pastoral, and hun
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Rural activities and pastoral scene
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Table VII.1. Vintage scenes on vine
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Figures Treading Grapes and the Pre
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The forerunners for these vintage s
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Snake and Mongoose Confrontation Th
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Table VII.2. Animal chase and comba
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iconographic aspects of rural life
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scenes are found in the mid-5th- to
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Table VII.3. Big Game Hunting scene
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iconographic aspects of rural life
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likewise surround the basin of the
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iconographic aspects of rural life
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iconographic aspects of rural life
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the cathedral at Madaba (Piccirillo
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443, 455-6, 466) holds that this ty
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Personification is a common theme o
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Rivers of Paradise, but only two of
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irds, apparently created by the Fou
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in an intercolumnar space (Church o
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the seasons with deliberate differe
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personification of natural forces 1
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crook Spring’s attribute at the B
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personification of natural forces 1
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while in mosaics of the Greek East
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Moon, as the partner of Sun, is a b
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Animals in a repeated antithetic sy
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designs of symmetrical antithetic a
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(Ovadiah 1987: 105) and at the Naha
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a bear, a lion and a destroyed anim
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long-horned deer drinking from a sp
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iconoclasm on mosaic pavements of s
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iconoclasm on mosaic pavements of s
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iconoclasm on mosaic pavements of s
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iconoclasm on mosaic pavements of s
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iconoclasm on mosaic pavements of s
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A significant subject in ancient ar
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These compositions with division in
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frequent ornamentation of the synag
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(Ovadiah 1987: 68): A cross within
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Some scholars propose that depictio
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V.5 City representations: a. Beth L
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V.7 The sail boat: a. Beth Leontis,
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VI.1 Gaza synagogue pavement.
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VI.3 Jerusalem ‘Armenian’ churc
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VI.6-8 Petra Church: North Aisle mo
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VI.8
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VI.10 The church of the Deacon Thom
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VI.12 Amphorae depicted on inhabite
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VI.14 Bird of prey on inhabited vin
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VI.16 Baskets on inhabited vine scr
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VI.18 Vine leaves and bunches of gr
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VI.20 Subdued animals: a. Be’er S
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VII.2 Transporting grapes: a. El Ha
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VII.4 Flute player: a. Beth She’a
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VII.6 Snake and mongoose confrontat
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VII.8 Dog chasing hare/rabbit on ch
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Inhabited Vine Scrolls Pavements A
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similar in the general depiction of
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etween synagogue and church 233 Fig
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part are evidently connected: almos
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etween synagogue and church 237 Fig
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Mukhayyat (Bagatti 1949: 99, pl. 29
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time. They might have contained gen
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Artists, workshops and schools of m
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• The same artisans are mentioned
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1933: 146, No. 23, 8; 1934: 73 =198
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characteristically mixed origin of
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The Sepphoris Mosaicists The Seppho
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on horseback spearing a leopard wit
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Odysseus fighting the monster Scyll
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Figure XII-6. Hall A mosaic, Monast
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mosaicists, workshops, and the repe
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Dating The Monastery was dated by i
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mosaicists, workshops, and the repe
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connections with Egypt, and perhaps
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mosaicists, workshops, and the repe
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different themes based on comparabl
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esults were mosaics in the old Diak
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Jews toartists and craftsmen. Among
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epeated use was supplemented by fre
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mosaicists, workshops, and the repe
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of designs from general pattern boo
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concluding remarks, comments, and o
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concluding remarks, comments, and o
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concluding remarks, comments, and o
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concluding remarks, comments, and o
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list of sites 289 LIST OF SITES Sit
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Site Date Centuries CE Jordan (Arab
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VII.10 Jabaliyah Diakonikon mosaic
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VII.12 Hunter/soldier on foot with
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VII.14 Feline with cub: a. Gaza syn
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VII.16 Shepherd: a. Be’er Shem‘
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VII.18 Figure leading camel: a. Kis
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VII.20 Fishing: a. Beth Loya, two e
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VIII.2 Seasons: a. Caesarea: Spring
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VIII.4 Beth She’an monastery, Hal
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IX.2 Flanking birds: a. Beth Shean,
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IX.4 a. Huseifa, unidentical menoro
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X.2 Susiya synagogue: a. panel Tora
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X.4 Jabaliyah church, north aisle.
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XI.2 Crosses on mosaic pavements: a
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XI.4 Tabgha, Church of the Multipli
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XII.2
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XII.4 Beth Leontis, Beth She’an:
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XII.6 Similarities between animals:
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XII.8 Similarities between animals
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glossary 293 GLOSSARY Aedicula Ston
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list of sites 295 ABBREVIATIONS ACR
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Abel, F. M. 1924 Décourvertes réc
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1969 Antike Mosaiken in Kilikien, I
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2001 The Nilometer, in Measuting an
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The Art of Byzantium and the Mediev
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1995 The Activity of the Mosaicists
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1971 The Secret of the ‘En Gedi I
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