Untitled

crook Spring’s attribute at the Beth-"Alpha and
Na#aran synagogues, on the 3rd-century Ostia
mosaic floor (Hanfmann 1951: II, 114, No. 151),
and the 3rd-century mosaic floor at Zliten in
North Africa (fig. VIII-5) (Hanfmann 1951: II,
112, No. 135 and p. 148).
The attributes of Summer are a sickle and sheaves
of corn attiring the head or beside the figure; a
sickle as an attribute appears on the mosaics at
El- Maqerqesh; in the Petra church south aisle
(pl. VIII.2); at Daphne (Antioch) (Hanfmann
1951: II, 100); on the mosaic floor of Deir es-
Sleib church (fig. VIII-6) (Hanfmann 1951: II,
121, no. 192; Donceel-Voûte 1988: fig. 35); and
on the Hammath Tiberias and Sepphoris synagogue
pavements (pl. III.11). At Zliten similar
sheaves of corn adorn the head of Summer and
at the Hippolytus Hall she holds one sheaf of corn.
Summer at Sepphoris and Petra wears a hat; at
Petra she appears with a bare breast (pl. VIII.2c),
as she does on some North African mosaics (Waliszewski
2001: 255) and like the nude breast of the
personification of the Sea in the Apostles church
at Madaba. By contrast, the Summer attribute
at Beth-"Alpha is fruit. Summer personifications
holding a cornucopia full of fruit are rendered at
the St George’s church and at the Priest Wa"il’s
church.
Autumn has as attributes pomegranates and clusters
of grapes. They are seen at El-Maqerqesh,
albeit inscribed Ge (Earth), and on mosaic II at
Petra church (pl. VIII.2b, c) (Waliszewski 2001:
257, 321). In these mosaics, however, the figure
carries the fruit in her shawl (Hanfmann 1951: II,
101). At the mosaics of Hyppolitus Hall (Piccirillo
1993: fig. 27), St. George’s church (Bagatti 1949:
pl. 27: 4), and the Priest Wa"il’s church Autumn
is rendered holding a cornucopia full of fruit or
pouring water. Several of these depictions evoke
the personifications of Earth. These attributes
appear also on the synagogue mosaics.
The personification of Winter continues a
Graeco-Roman tradition of a draped female bust,
a veil covering her head, often holding a jug, as on
the El-Maqerqesh mosaic. Winter is also accompanied
by two ducklings (pl. VIII.2b) on the mosaic
in Qabr Hiram church (fig. VIII-7) (Hanfmann
1951: II, 120, No. 193), on the mosaic at Deir es-
Sleib (fig. VIII-6) (Hanfmann 1951: II, 121, No.
121), and on the synagogue floors of Hammath
Tiberias and Sepphoris (pl. III.11). The mosaics
at Zliten (fig. VIII-5) and Ostia have a similar
draped figure (winged at Zliten) but without
personification of natural forces 191
the jug (Hanfmann 1951: II, 112, 114, Nos.135,
151). The Caesarea winter is different, wearing a
crown of reeds and earrings and holding a reed
(pl. VIII.2a) (Spiro 1992: 254, 257, figs. 12,14).
The reed and the ducklings are common emblems
of Winter on Roman North African mosaics; the
ducklings are usually depicted as hunting spoils
(Parrish 1984: 27, 32-34; 1994: 79-80). The reed
is a more common attribute of the personification
of rivers (see above).
The personifications of the seasons draw
directly on models and patterns from the classical
Graeco-Roman repertoire. In every mosaic
they are alike in manner, style, and details of face
and eyes, but they differ in dress, jewellery, and
attributes, to mark each different season. Only
those on synagogue pavements are an integral
part of the entire zodiac design. The seasons on
the pagan and church pavements are either isolated
or a group within larger design.
A familiar design on North African mosaics
(Parish 1984: 204-206, pl. 69) and on an Antioch
mosaic (Levi 1971, II: pl. 81) is the seasons
combined with the personification of Earth. The
examples in the mosaics described above differ
somewhat: at El-Maqerqesh, Earth is identified
with autumn and appears with three of the seasons
(pl. VIII.2b); at Petra church, Earth, the seasons
and other personifications and figures appear in
the central axis (pls. XII.1,2); at St Paul’s church
Earth is combined with the Four Rivers of Paradise.
The seasons rendered on church and synagogue
mosaics in all probability represented the
year’s cycle, the renewal of nature and the agriculture
cycle presented with their typical attributes
and the iconography of agricultural activities
(Hanfmann1951, I: 227-280; Maguire 1987: 27;
Merrony 1998: 469), the same interpretation presented
for the seasons on the zodiac design in
synagogues. 4
Personification of the Months
Personifications of the twelve months appear on
mosaic pavements and represent the farming
and rural activities of each. The designs vary:
some are in a panel/s with the months as a group
(the floors of El-Hammam and Gerasa), or in a
4 But see Roussin’s assertion (1985: 114) that the use of
the seasons on these mosaics was ‘primarily decorative’.