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as evinced by the wave pattern alternating in red
and black on two mosaics, the chessboard pattern
as a circle enclosing a six-petalled rosette, which is
also similar in each mosaic, and the serrated sawtooth
pattern outer band on two of the Jerusalem
mosaics and the two Masada pavements.
Motifs in mosaic art derived from traditional
elements in local, native art, although they were
occasionally taken from Hellenistic-Roman art
and from that of the neighbouring cultures. A
further source of inspiration was the natural environment
from which floral and faunal subjects
were borrowed and adapted.
Most conspicuous by its absence in the Second
Temple period ensemble of motifs is any figurative
representation or any motif indicating symbolic
significance. Only later, in the third century
CE, do motifs acquire a symbolic status. Consequently
it can be stated that the Jews of the
Second Temple period refrained from representations
of humans and animals in their art, probably
in obedience to the prohibition of the second of
the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 4-5; Deuteronomy
5: 8-9).
Whereas official and public art was strictly
aniconic, private dwellings did sometimes use
ornamentation which portrayed figurative motifs,
usually birds.
The mosaic art of the Second Temple period
that developed in the 1st century BCE–1st century
CE exhibits several characteristic features:
The mosaic pavement was one of the most
prevalent crafts of the arts which flourished in
Herodian times. It utilized the locally available
stone, and created a new type of ornament.
The designs such as the rosettes were sometimes
sketched in by means of compass and ruler in a
stylized manner.
chapter one
The repertoire of ornamental motifs reflects
a rigid aniconic choice of floral, geometric,
and architectural patterns, some of which were
adopted from Hellenistic art.
The mosaic art style displays many oriental elements.
These characterize all the art of the age,
including the simple local art encountered mainly
in the palaces as well as in funerary art. The difference
lies usually in the quality of execution and
in the attention paid to decorative detail.
In conclusion, Jewish art of the Second Temple
period includes the ornamentation and embellishment
of structures. It shows connections with
the neighbouring Graeco-Roman culture. Yet
Jewish art withstood foreign influences by evolving
strictly aniconic features; it is characterized,
like the other arts of the period, by highly skilled
indigenous work, by the predominant Oriental
elements of endless patterns, by horror vacui, by
plasticity of carving, and by symmetrical stylization
(Hachlili 1988: 401). It is based on the ability
and skill with which the artists treated the needs
and requirements of their clientele whose requirements
were mainly decorative.
The strictly aniconic and non-symbolic art
characterizing the Second Temple period is the
outcome of Judaism’s struggle against paganism
and idolatry. Through rigid observance of the
prohibition against animate images, the Jews
retained their own identity and distinctiveness.
Thus a local Jewish art evolved, strictly aniconic,
using neither figures nor symbols, and
eschewing animate motifs and representational
art. Only with the decline of paganism during
the 3rd century CE did the attitude of Jewish art
change, resulting in the use of figurative motifs.