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fleeing hare in the vine scroll border frieze of the
Beth She"an small synagogue mosaic (fig. VI-10)
(Bahat 1981: 85). A collared dog emerging from
the medallion catches the hare portrayed in the
joined medallion on the inhabited vine scroll of
the mosaic border in the narthex at Beth Loya
church (Patrich and Tsafrir 1992: 184).
The same motif appears on mosaics in Jordan.
A running dog with a collar and a broken rope
hunts an escaping rabbit, each animal in a medallion,
perhaps with the hunter in the adjacent
medallion as part of the scene, in the vine rinceau
at the Church of the Sts. Lot and Procopius at
Mukhayyat on Mt. Nebo (Saller and Bagatti
1949: 61, fig. 7, pls. 14,2; Piccirillo 1993: 164-5,
figs. 202, 207,213). A similar episode of dog pursuing
fleeing hare is rendered in two medallions of
the acanthus rinceau border of the mosaic of the
upper apse at Massuh church in Esbus (Piccirillo
1986: 230, no.19; 1993: 252, figs. 437, 444). A
dog chasing two rabbits, each animal in a medallion,
is seen on the acanthus rinceau of the Burnt
Palace at Madaba (Piccirillo 1993: 78, figs. 50,
52). Similar vignettes of a dog pursuing a fleeing
hare are rendered in intercolumn panels on the
mosaic of the 6th-century nave of Qabr Hiram
(fig. VI-18) in Phoenicia (Donceel-Voute 1988:
411-415, figs. 403, 405, 412; pl. n-t.17).
A different method of hare hunt appears at el-
Hammam, in a medallion in row 6; a hare (only
tail and paws have survived) is being hunted with
a basket and rope Beth She"an (fig. VII-2a) (Avi-
Yonah 1936: 15, pl. XVII, 6).
Two dogs chase a deer, in three medallions,
in row 3 of the inhabited vine scroll mosaic at
the church at Hazor-Ashdod (fig. VI-2). A hound
pursuing a gazelle, almost entirely lost, each in a
medallion, is seen on the left in row 6 of the vine
scroll mosaic at the Shellal church (fig. VI-6). A
hound with collar chasing a gazelle, flanking a
fruit tree (fig. XII-14), is depicted at the Caesarea
border pavement.
Similar scenes appear on Jordan mosaics: A
hound with collar and leash capturing a gazelle
by the leg, each in a medallion, is depicted in the
church of the Deacon Thomas (Piccirillo 1993:
187, fig. 254). A hound with collar chases an
animal in medallions of the vine scroll panel of the
nave field, and another scene of a dog attacking
an animal is depicted in a medallion at Kaianus
lower church (Piccirillo 1993: 189, fig. 271, 275).
Interestingly, on the mosaic of the lower chapel
of the Priest John a hound with collar and a torn
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leash is depicted in a medallion in the row 2 of
the vine scroll mosaic in the main nave, while
the fleeing hare is rendered in a medallion in the
sanctuary vine scroll mosaic (Piccirillo 1993: 176,
figs. 237, 240).
An interesting variation of the same theme is
a seated dog with a collar looking back at a fleeing
rabbit depicted on the eastern panel of the
Diakonikon chapel at Jabaliyah (pl. VII-10b).
(Humbert 1999: 216, pl. XI top; Humbert et al.
2000: 124).
A hound or dog with a collar probably represented
a guard dog whose task was to protect his
owners’ property, especially his herd (Toynbee
1973: 102-108).
A cock-fight appears at el-Hammam, in a
medallion in row 7 (fig. VI-14). This was a popular
sport in antiquity (Avi-Yonah 1936: 16, pl. XIV).
Roosters appear flanking a flat bowl in medallions
in row 21 of the vine rinceau mosaic of the north
aisle in Petra church (pl. VI.7) (Waliszewski 2001:
236-7, fig. 17) and flanking each other in geometric
squares on the north aisle of the Jabaliyah
church (pl. X.4) (Humbert 2000: 121).
Wild Beasts in Combat, Predation, and Assault
Scenes of beasts chasing animals are found not
only on mosaic fields and in inhabited scrolls
designs but also on animal friezes rendered on
mosaic borders. A related theme is represented by
beasts and their animal prey in combat and hunt,
or sometimes already in victory over one of the
animals. They usually are pairs, often with a beast
at the moment of overpowering its victim.
These impressive scenes of wild beasts fiercely
attacking and overwhelming their victims appear
on the lower section of the mosaic pavement of the
Nile festival building at Sepphoris (pl. V.3), and
on two registers at the St. Elias Church at Kissufim
(pl. VII.7). These images of ferocious animals
battling in assorted compositions recall comparable
scenes on 3rd- and 4th-century mosaic pavements
in Palaestina. On the 3rd-century triclinum
mosaic from Shechem (Nablus) combat and hunting
scenes are portrayed in medallions of the acanthus
inhabited scroll border on a black ground
(Dauphin 1979: 14-18). Similar combat scenes
appear in the medallions of the acanthus inhabited
scroll frame of the House of Dionysos at Sepphoris
(Talgam and Weiss 2004: 88-94, 109-110;
figs. 75, 77-80; colour pls. XII-XIII). The 4thcentury
hall mosaic pavement of Lod shows scenes