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(Ovadiah 1987: 105) and at the Nahariya church
the design ornaments the bema area.
The Caesarea ‘Birds mosaic’ consists of a central
panel with 120 medallions, each containing
a single bird; the panel is surrounded by a frame
depicting pairs of animals flanking a tree and some
wild animals chasing tame animals (fig. XII-14).
The mosaic is considered to belong to a Byzantine
church or a villa dating to the late 6th or
early 7th century (Reich 1985: 207-212; Spiro
1992: 250).
Two pairs of animals, one rams and the other
peacocks, flank a vase on a mosaic panel in
the ‘Bacchic procession’ room of a mansion at
Madaba (Piccirillo 1993: 76, figs. 34, 40). A small
panel inside the north door in the Martyr Theodore
chapel in the cathedral at Madaba, shows
a pair of roosters flanking a jar (Piccirillo 1993:
117, figs. 98, 111).
The elevated presbytery in the Sts. Lot and
Procopius church in Mukhayyat is decorated
with two sheep flanking a tree, as well as three
intercolumnar panels with animals flanking a tree
and plants (Piccirillo 1993: 164-5, figs. 214, 215,
maintains they are part of Nilotic scenes). A pair
of goats or deer flank a palm tree on the mosaic
pavement of the southern sacristy of St. George’s
church, accompanied by a inscription meaning ‘IN
PEACE’ in two languages: Greek and a Semitic
script, Christo-Palestinian Aramaic or Arabic;
above are two more schematic plants and doves
flanking a plant. The inscription might indicate
that the room has a funerary character (Saller and
Bagatti 1949: 76, 105, pl. 30,1; Piccirillo 1993:
178, fig. 250; 1998: 327-8, fig. 136). A pair of
sheep flanking a fruit tree and bunches of grapes
appear on the mosaic pavement panel of the apse
of the crypt of St. Elianus church at Madaba (Piccirillo
1993: 125, fig. 134).
The New Baptistry chapel in the Memorial of
Moses on Mt. Nebo is decorated with fruit trees
flanked by disfigured deer and birds (Piccirillo
1993: 150, fig. 197). The nave mosaic pavement
at the Apostles church at Madaba is completely
covered by pairs of birds surrounding a central
medallion with personification of the sea. Flanking
animals are rendered on the two end panels of
the nave. The second chapel, to the north of the
church, shows a mosaic decorated with pairs of
stags, sheep, and gazelles flanking trees (Piccirillo
1993: 106, figs. 81, 92, 93, 95). Pairs of animal
face each other among branches of a vine; they
include a pair of rams, a pair of gazelles, and a
designs of symmetrical antithetic animals 203
bull and a lion depicted on the mosaic pavement
of the lower Baptistry chapel at Madaba (Piccirillo
1993: 119, figs. 121-123).
A pair of bulls and a pair of horned rams on
different levels nibbling the leaves of a tree are
depicted on the Mosaic of the Tree at Madaba
(Piccirillo 1993: 132, figs. 160-161). Two pheasants
flanking a tree are seen at the western end
of the nave in Suwayfiyah chapel (Piccirillo 1993:
264, figs. 455, 469, 471).
Three episodes of flanking animals are depicted
at the Church of the Lions at Umm al-Rasas (Piccirillo
1993: 236, figs. 338-9, 365, 374- 376). In
the raised presbytery two panels show flanking
animals. Two bulls with bells on their necks flank
a medallion in a panel behind the altar. A panel
in front of the altar shows two gazelles and two
lions flanking fruit trees. One of the two small side
apses features a pair of birds (defaced) flanking a
vase and the other two eagles (defaced) flanking
a vase. At the Church of the Rivers at Umm al-
Rasas (Piccirillo 1993: 240, fig. 391) the presbytery
is decorated with two rams facing the altar;
the panel in front of the altar shows (destroyed)
figures and a sheep between three fruit trees. In
a panel in front pairs of partridges and pheasants
flank bunches of grapes. A similar depiction of
figures (destroyed) and a goat between three fruit
trees decorates a rectangular panel in the nave
of St. Paul’s church at Umm al-Rasas (Piccirillo
2002: 544)
In the presbytery of the North Church at Esbus
two levels of mosaics were discovered (Piccirillo
1993: 250, fig. 425). On the upper mosaic, preserved
in front and at the sides of the altar, the
west panel shows a vase from which two vines
sprout, flanked by two gazelles, trees, and plants.
A singular depiction occurs on the mosaic pavement
of the upper mosaic in Priest John’s chapel
(Piccirillo 1993: 174, fig. 228). The upper, eastern
part of the central panel shows a central structure
consisting of four decorated columns surmounted
by a tympanum decorated with a conch (pl. II.3a).
The structure is flanked by a pair of peacocks,
fruit trees, and two roosters placed on the corners
of the tympanum. Two candlesticks (or tymiateria)
are inside between the columns. A dedicatory
inscription lies between the two inner columns.
The antithetic composition is usually rendered
within a panel. In most of the heraldic designs
the animals are identical, except for slight differences
in features and poses (pls. IX.1-2,4).
Notable in the antithetic designs on synagogue