Untitled

four amphorae in the centre of the mosaic.
A group of Jordan mosaics decorated with
fields of inhabited acanthus scrolls should be
considered part of the inhabited scrolls trend in
the 6th century. The repertoire of these mosaics
is quite similar to the rural, vintage, and hunting
scenes contained in groups IV and V above
(Table IV.2). Two inhabited acanthus scroll mosaics
appear at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat, Mt. Nebo, in
the Upper Chapel of the Priest John (565 CE) and
in the church of St. George (535/36 CE) (Saller
and Bagatti 1949: 49-55; 67-71, 100; figs. 4, 8;
Maguire 1987: 69-72; Piccirillo 1993: 174, 178,
figs. 227, 230, 245; 1998: 324-327). The scrolls
are rendered with Earth and her offerers, and
scenes of farming and hunting.
Three others are found on Umm al-Rasas mosaics.
The Church of Bishop Sergius, (587/88), the
Church of the Lions (574 or 589), and the Church
of the Rivers (579 or 594) were are disfigured by
iconoclasts (Piccirillo 1993: 234,241, figs. 365,
392, 394, 395). On the nave field mosaics at the
Church of Bishop Sergius and the Church of the
Rivers, inhabited acanthus scrolls are enclosed by
an inhabited vine scroll border.
Another inhabited acanthus scroll mosaic
appears on the nave field of the Burnt Palace at
Madaba (Piccirillo 1993: 78, figs. 49-50). The two
coloured acanthus leaves create symmetrical and
schematic medallions. A heart-shaped band connects
the leaves. The acanthus medallions contain
various farming, hunting, and pastoral scenes.
The mosaics at the church of St. George and
the Upper Chapel of the Priest John at Khirbat
al-Mukhayyat and the Church of Bishop Sergius
at Umm al-Rasas have a distinct motif in one of
the acanthus medallions: the personification of
the Earth flanked by a pair of offerers in three
medallions in the same row. The disfigured personification
of the sea (inscribed abyss) is rendered
within an acanthus medallion at the Church of
Bishop Sergius and at the Church of the Rivers,
Umm al-Rasas.
B. The Repertory
The repertory of the inhabited scroll design is
varied. Repetition of motifs and figures is common
to the pavements of the inhabited scrolls; they
are not identical but vary in features and style
(see list and statistical data, Dauphin 1978a:
the ‘inhabited scrolls’ mosaic pavements 139
400-404,419-423). Groups I-III embody objects,
birds, and animals; Be"er Shem#a and Petra also
incorporate human figures. By contrast, groups
IV-V contain figured scenes, particularly rural
activities and domestic scenes, the vintage cycle,
hunting, and animal chase, 3 usually depicted in
a similar manner and attitude (Tables VI-1, 2;
Chap. VII, Table VII-1, 2).
The repertory set out next characterizes especially
the central axial column of the inhabited
scroll mosaics of Groups I-III.
The Amphora Flanked by Peacocks or Animals
In groups I-IV the motif of the amphora flanked
by animals was usually placed in the central medallion
at the centre of the base of the design
(Table VI-1); the amphora was the issuing point
for the vine trellis, which made up the rest of
the inhabited vine scroll composition. The vase
in these mosaic pavements resembles a stylized
version of a metal wine volute amphora, with
two handles, its base a round ball on a triangle or
rectangle pedestal, its body decorated in a stylized
lobed design; sometimes the shoulders are studded
with a pattern of precious stones (pl. VI-12). The
lobed ornament was probably used to emphasize
the metallic character of the amphora (Levi 1947:
512; Avi-Yonah 1960: 25, note 2). The wine amphora
was chosen as the appropriate vessel from
which the vine trellises arose.
Peacocks flank the amphora on pavements of group
II (figs. VI-5-7; pls. VI-2, 4, 6; Table VI-1; on
the symbolism of the peacock see Goodenough
1958, VIII: 52-58). At Ma#on a peacock with two
feathers on its head walks towards the vase, with
head and sometimes tail outside the medallion,
the body in one medallion and the spread tail
in the other (Avi-Yonah 1960: 26, pl. III,2); at
Shellal there are similar peacocks, with a small
partridge placed above the tail (Trendall 1957:
18, pl. III,2); each peacock of the pair at the ‘Armenian’
church at Jerusalem stands in one medallion
while two other birds are in the flanking
end-medallions. Each of the the pair of peacocks
at Beth Loya, though damaged, appears in one
large medallion. At Petra too, each peacock of
3 No maritime or harvesting scenes appear in the inhabited
scrolls repertory.