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xxviii foreword of Oriental Research for granting permission to publish the Petra church mosaic pavements. To Prof. Zeev Weiss and the Sepphoris Expedition of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for permission to use the photographs of Sepphoris. Finally, affectionate thanks to my husband Gad, my daughter Sigal, and my sons Guy and Niv, who have always encouraged me in my ventures. Rachel Hachlili The Zinman Institute of Archaeology University of Haifa November 2007
One of the most significant and fruitful times in the history of the Land of Israel in late antiquity is the Byzantine period. The Land of Israel was mainly important in being a thoroughfare in a sensitive and military imperial area. It suddenly was transformed from an insignificant province to the Holy Land. This dramatic turn was the consequence of the rise of Christianity from a persecuted faith to the official one (in 312 CE), and soon after to the state religion (324 CE). This transition had far-flung implications: the Emperor Constantine established another capital at Constantinople, a move that had significant influence on the Land of Israel’s political and economic status. From the 4th century on churches were built at various sites, first in areas where Jesus and his disciples had worked, acting according to Christian tradition. At the same time the pilgrimage movement to the Holy Land began to flourish, and many of the pilgrims settled in the country and made the land the centre of the Christian world. As a result the country thrived and the population expanded. This brought about the construction of a growing number of monasteries, churches and synagogues located all over the land, many of them paved with highly ornate mosaic decorations. Many of these pavements have survived, some of them with dated inscriptions, which facilitate researching the history and development of mosaic art in the area. The mosaic art which evolved between the 4th and the 8th century was primarily a popular art, founded on a definitive spiritual outlook. Its study enables us to reconstruct a vivid picture of the past, in which the spiritual and material nature of Judaism and Christianity are disclosed. In Byzantine art of the 4th century to the 8th century, Jews and Christians employed figurative images and symbols. They did so with rabbinic tolerance or even approval. The initiative for the growth of a versatile art, especially its figurative and symbolic aspects, lay with the population itself, with the local communities. This study sets out to examine some of the available data, concentrating on selected studies of themes and issues in mosaic art determining and interpreting the meaning and significance of the material presented. It discusses the symbolic introduction 1 INTRODUCTION and iconographic vocabulary of mosaic art and some characteristic themes, and assigns them to their proper context. It endeavours to examine the forces of the religions’ tradition and local influence, thereby drawing attention to what is truly distinctive in the mosaic art of synagogue and church. The elaborate decoration of mosaic art reflected the natural wish of society to live in a visually pleasing environment, as well as the human desire to conquer material and mould it to people’s needs. Moreover, it provided an outlet for the human weakness of wishing to impress and attract attention, and to demonstrate power through symbols and motifs, through magnificence and beauty. The mosaic pavements discussed in this study were discovered in Israel, the Gaza Strip and Petra (the provinces of ancient Palaestina Prima, Secunda and Tertia ) with comparable floors in Jordan (Arabia). They are chronologically and generally divided into three parts: I The earlier Hellenistic-early Roman periods, illustrating the beginning of the use of mosaics to pave rooms in palaces, houses and bathhouses, dating to the late 1st century BCE—1st century CE. Discussed in Chapter I. II The middle and late Roman period (late 2nd century CE, but most of the mosaics date to the first half of the 3rd century) found in Roman public, private buildings and villas, at ‘En Yael, Lod, Sepphoris (the House of Dionysos and the Orpheus house), and Shechem; the mosaics generally decorate a triclinum or a hall depicting mythological scenes, marine themes and various plant and geometric patterns (see Talgam and Weiss 2004: 1-16 for a general description of these mosaics). These mosaics are not discussed in this study. III The later Roman and Byzantine periods (4th to 8th century CE); the mosaics adorn religious structures—churches and synagogues—and a few secular buildings. Most of this study is devoted to themes
Page 2 and 3: 294 glossary
Page 5 and 6: Ψ ή φ ο ς ס פ י ס פ Ancie
Page 7 and 8: contents To my beloved granddaughte
Page 9 and 10: contents CONTENTS List of Color Pla
Page 11 and 12: contents C Pastoral and Rural Scene
Page 13 and 14: list of color plates xi LIST OF COL
Page 15 and 16: list of color plates xiii V.4 Nilom
Page 17 and 18: list of color plates xv Mt. Nebo; g
Page 19 and 20: list of color plates xvii Authority
Page 21 and 22: list of figures xix LIST OF FIGURES
Page 23 and 24: list of figures xxi Figure IV-15. D
Page 25 and 26: list of figures xxiii Figure VIII-5
Page 27 and 28: list of figures xxv LIST OF TABLES
Page 29: foreword xxvii FOREWORD התדיב
Page 33 and 34: pavement at Caesarea the word is sp
Page 35 and 36: mosaic pavements adorning buildings
Page 47 and 48: Introduction: Jewish Figurative Art
Page 49 and 50: Figure II-3. Beth "Alpha synagogue:
Page 51 and 52: to the Sefer HaRazim Yahoweh reside
Page 53 and 54: ut all served as repositories for t
Page 55 and 56: pomegranates and cups (Hachlili 200
Page 57 and 58: open ark with scrolls is depicted,
Page 59 and 60: are rendered in non-identical symme
Page 61 and 62: pavements of Samarian synagogues an
Page 63 and 64: of two columns surmounting an arche
Page 65 and 66: A group of ancient synagogues disco
Page 67 and 68: the zodiac panel and its significan
Page 75 and 76: the bust of the season Nisan (Sprin
Page 77 and 78: The Summer attributes, the sickle a
Page 79 and 80: Table III-1. Comparative chart of t
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Figure III-12. Part of a stone ceil
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A Roman villa at Odos Triakosion in
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the four seasons, representing the
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iblical narrative themes and images
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Noah’s Ark biblical narrative the
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Jonah biblical narrative themes and
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Nilotic scenes are a recurrent them
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iconographic elements of nilotic sc
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I.1 Masada mosaic pavements: a. ant
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I.3 Jerusalem, Upper City, pavement
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II.1 Torah shrine panels on synagog
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II.3 Comparable shrines on Jordan m
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III.1 Hammath Tiberias synagogue zo
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III.3 Beth "Alpha synagogue zodiac
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III.5 Sun God on synagogue pavement
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III.7 Zodiac signs on synagogue pav
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III.9 Zodiac signs on synagogue pav
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III.11 The four seasons on synagogu
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IV.1 Binding of Isaac on synagogue
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IV.3 David-Orpheus on the Gaza syna
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IV.5 The Orpheus mosaic, Jerusalem.
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IV.7 Sepphoris synagogue, The Conse
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V.1 Nilotic scene at Beth Leontis,
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V.3 Nilotic scene at Sepphoris Nile
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eagle. Another Nilotic scene appear
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shown standing on the river bank as
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The depiction of a putto riding a c
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Table V.1. Nilotic Elements on Byza
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Nile Festival mosaic, with the addi
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The ‘inhabited scroll’ became o
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donkey. Lively animal chase scenes
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naturalistic in execution, and unli
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which contains objects flanked by s
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Figure VI-7. Group II: Jerusalem, t
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the outer ones; the second survivin
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Table VI-1a. Composition and Repert
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Group III consists of the mosaics e
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the ‘inhabited scrolls’ mosaic
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Figure VI-13. Beth She"an, Monaster
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Figure VI-15. Sede Nahum mosaic fra
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Table VI-2a. (Cont.) Mosaic Date ce
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Table VI-2b. (Cont.) Mosaic Date ce
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In the south aisle of St. George ch
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four amphorae in the centre of the
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On Jordanian mosaics, in the acanth
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to have grapes of both styles (pl.
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ightly observes that the different
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grape harvesting, pastoral, and hun
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Rural activities and pastoral scene
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Table VII.1. Vintage scenes on vine
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Figures Treading Grapes and the Pre
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The forerunners for these vintage s
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Snake and Mongoose Confrontation Th
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Table VII.2. Animal chase and comba
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iconographic aspects of rural life
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scenes are found in the mid-5th- to
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Table VII.3. Big Game Hunting scene
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likewise surround the basin of the
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the cathedral at Madaba (Piccirillo
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443, 455-6, 466) holds that this ty
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Personification is a common theme o
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Rivers of Paradise, but only two of
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irds, apparently created by the Fou
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in an intercolumnar space (Church o
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the seasons with deliberate differe
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personification of natural forces 1
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crook Spring’s attribute at the B
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personification of natural forces 1
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while in mosaics of the Greek East
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Moon, as the partner of Sun, is a b
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Animals in a repeated antithetic sy
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designs of symmetrical antithetic a
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(Ovadiah 1987: 105) and at the Naha
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a bear, a lion and a destroyed anim
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long-horned deer drinking from a sp
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iconoclasm on mosaic pavements of s
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A significant subject in ancient ar
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These compositions with division in
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frequent ornamentation of the synag
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(Ovadiah 1987: 68): A cross within
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Some scholars propose that depictio
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V.5 City representations: a. Beth L
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V.7 The sail boat: a. Beth Leontis,
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VI.1 Gaza synagogue pavement.
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VI.3 Jerusalem ‘Armenian’ churc
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VI.6-8 Petra Church: North Aisle mo
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VI.8
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VI.10 The church of the Deacon Thom
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VI.12 Amphorae depicted on inhabite
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VI.14 Bird of prey on inhabited vin
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VI.16 Baskets on inhabited vine scr
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VI.18 Vine leaves and bunches of gr
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VI.20 Subdued animals: a. Be’er S
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VII.2 Transporting grapes: a. El Ha
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VII.4 Flute player: a. Beth She’a
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VII.6 Snake and mongoose confrontat
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VII.8 Dog chasing hare/rabbit on ch
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Inhabited Vine Scrolls Pavements A
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similar in the general depiction of
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etween synagogue and church 233 Fig
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part are evidently connected: almos
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etween synagogue and church 237 Fig
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Mukhayyat (Bagatti 1949: 99, pl. 29
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time. They might have contained gen
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Artists, workshops and schools of m
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• The same artisans are mentioned
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1933: 146, No. 23, 8; 1934: 73 =198
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characteristically mixed origin of
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The Sepphoris Mosaicists The Seppho
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on horseback spearing a leopard wit
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Odysseus fighting the monster Scyll
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Figure XII-6. Hall A mosaic, Monast
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mosaicists, workshops, and the repe
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Dating The Monastery was dated by i
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connections with Egypt, and perhaps
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different themes based on comparabl
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esults were mosaics in the old Diak
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Jews toartists and craftsmen. Among
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epeated use was supplemented by fre
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of designs from general pattern boo
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concluding remarks, comments, and o
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list of sites 289 LIST OF SITES Sit
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Site Date Centuries CE Jordan (Arab
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VII.10 Jabaliyah Diakonikon mosaic
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VII.12 Hunter/soldier on foot with
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VII.14 Feline with cub: a. Gaza syn
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VII.16 Shepherd: a. Be’er Shem‘
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VII.18 Figure leading camel: a. Kis
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VII.20 Fishing: a. Beth Loya, two e
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VIII.2 Seasons: a. Caesarea: Spring
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VIII.4 Beth She’an monastery, Hal
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IX.2 Flanking birds: a. Beth Shean,
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IX.4 a. Huseifa, unidentical menoro
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X.2 Susiya synagogue: a. panel Tora
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X.4 Jabaliyah church, north aisle.
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XI.2 Crosses on mosaic pavements: a
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XI.4 Tabgha, Church of the Multipli
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XII.2
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XII.4 Beth Leontis, Beth She’an:
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XII.6 Similarities between animals:
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XII.8 Similarities between animals
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glossary 293 GLOSSARY Aedicula Ston
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list of sites 295 ABBREVIATIONS ACR
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Abel, F. M. 1924 Décourvertes réc
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1969 Antike Mosaiken in Kilikien, I
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2001 The Nilometer, in Measuting an
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The Art of Byzantium and the Mediev
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1995 The Activity of the Mosaicists
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1971 The Secret of the ‘En Gedi I
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