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which contains objects flanked by symmetrical
antithetic animals.
The Shellal church in the west-south Negev is
decorated with an inhabited vine scroll mosaic,
dated by inscription to 561/2 (Avi-Yonah 1933:
no.306; Trendall 1957). It is composed of five
columns and probably nine rows, of which only
seven survived; the upper part of the mosaic and
parts of two columns on the left side are destroyed
(fig. VI-6). The vine-trellis issues from an amphora
in the centre of the first row, flanked by a pair of
peacocks. An axial column is replete with objects
such as baskets, bowls, and a bird-cage, and is
flanked symmetrically by columns and rows of
alternating birds and animals. Some of the flanking
animals in the alternating rows are not identical
(a lion and a tigress in row 4) and the animals
in scenes of pursuit in the second and the sixth
rows are presented in different poses.
The Jerusalem ‘Armenian’ church nave is
decorated with an inhabited vine scrolls mosaic,
dated to the 6th century (Avi-Yonah 1933: 36,
no.132; Evans 1982). The mosaic composition
consists of five columns and nine rows (fig. VI-7;
pl. VI.3).
The vine-trellis issues from an amphora emerging
from an acanthus leaf in the centre of the first
row, flanked by a pair of peacocks and birds. An
axial column with objects such as baskets, a bowl,
a bird-cage and birds is flanked symmetrically by
columns and rows containing only an assortment
of alternating birds facing the column (except for
the birds in row 4). Almost all flanking birds are
identical.
The inhabited vine scroll mosaic on the nave
of Horvat Beth Loya church in Judaea is severely
damaged by iconoclastic defacement and by
grave-digging in the Muslim period (Patrich and
Tsafrir 1993: 268). It consists of five columns and
twelve rows (pl. VI.4, fig. VI-9b). The vine-trellis
issues from an amphora in the centre of the
first row, flanked by a pair of peacocks. An axial
column contains objects such as a double basket, a
goblet, a flask, and a bird-cage. It is flanked symmetrically
by almost completely defaced columns
and rows of alternating birds and animals. The
entire pavement is enclosed in an acanthus scroll
border inhabited by animals and birds, showing
hunting and pastoral scenes similar to some other
pavements of vine scrolls design (see Table VI
below).
The two church mosaics at Be"er-Shem#a and
Petra are assigned to this group primarily because
the ‘inhabited scrolls’ mosaic pavements 117
they display its distinctive features: a central vertical
axial column with objects; the figures in the
medallions in each row set facing each symmetrically,
on either side of the axial column. But in
addition, these two mosaics include a rare depiction
of human figures in various rural activities.
The mosaic on the nave of St. Stephen at Be"er-
Shem#a (Khirbet el-Far) is wholly preserved and is
dated to the mid-6th century (Gazit and Lender
1993: 275-6). It has five columns and eleven rows
(pl. VI.5, fig. VI-9a.).
The inhabited vine scrolls arise from a vase at
the centre of the bottom row flanked by a pair
of lions, each depicted in two medallions with
heads and legs outside them; whereas the peacocks
appear in the top row, each rendered in two
medallions flanking a fruit bowl. Only the second,
third and seventh rows have alternating animals
and birds similar to the Ma#on mosaic. Although
the design looks symmetrical it is not as rigid and
heraldic as the other group II designs.
Though the mosaic belongs to group II, the
composition is different in some aspects: the
medallions of the axial central column are only
partly filled with objects: a basket of fruit (row
3), a hanging ‘Gaza’ jar made into a dovecote
with a pair of doves (row 5) (pl. XII.3f ), a basket
with bunches of grapes (row 6), a bird-in-cage
(row 7), and a fruit bowl (row 11). Other medallions
contain the unique humans figures: a woman
breast-feeding a baby (row 2) (pl. VII.17a), a flute
player (row 4) (pl. XII.4b), a shepherd leaning on
his staff (row 8) (pl. VII.16a), and a man, with the
Greek inscription ΒΙΚΤWΡ (VICTOR), carrying
a tray (row 10) (pl. XII.17a). Several animals in
the second and fourth rows are presented in different
poses; scenes of pursuit in the fifth and
eighth rows and some of the flanking animals in
the same row are different (leopardess and lioness
in row 2, elephant and giraffe in row 9, horse
and mare in row 10).
The two medallions on the side columns of
several rows contain linked scenes maintaining
some sort of symmetry: two animal pursuit scenes,
a dog chasing a vixen and a bitch after a doe
rabbit (pl. VII.8c,d), flank the central medallion in
row 5; a panther pursuing a deer on the left, and
a wolf pursuing an ibex on the right, appear in
row 8 (pl. VII.5b,c). The animal chase scenes are
comparable to those at the Gaza synagogue but
are less aggressive. A figure leading a donkey on
the left and one leading a camel on the right flank
a double basket in row 6 (pls. VII.2b, VII.18b);