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the zodiac panel and its significance 39
Figure III-5. The sun god schematic design: a. Hammath Tiberias; b. Sepphoris; c. Beth "Alpha; d. Na#aran.
At Beth-"Alpha and Na#aran (pl. III. 5c-d;
figs. II 5c-d) the sun god is represented only by
his bust and crown with rays, the chariot by its
front and unproportional two wheels, and the
horses by their heads and legs. At Huseifa the
inner circle did not survive.
The background of all these Jewish mosaics
shows a crescent moon and one or more stars.
A star to the right of the whip and the crescent
moon to the left, at the tip of the ray, are rendered
in the Hammath Tiberias representation.
At Sepphoris, a moon and a star are shown to
the right of the sun, the moon rendered as a full
circle with its crescent highlighted. At Beth "Alpha
the background is dark, a crescent moon is rendered
in the right corner, and the stars are dispersed
around. At Na#aran, the celestial bodies
are on the figure’s cape, with the crescent moon
near his thumb. This schema is used for similar
figures in Roman art and is often connected to
solar iconography (Dunbabin 1982: 84-85). None
of the many extant parallels for these representations
of the sun god (Levi 1944: fig. 21; Stern
1953: pls. 29: 1, 6, 31: 6, 10, 11; Dothan 1966-67:
131-132) includes the background of the crescent
moon and stars as depicted in the Jewish
design. 2
Thus, the earliest depiction of the Hammath
Tiberias sun god in Jewish zodiacs is similar to
renditions in Roman art. But it eventually develops
into a stylized design, which is more abstract
and restrained. The depiction of the Hammath
Tiberias sun god is natural and full-featured, like
2 Foerster (1985: 388, n.100) records only examples on
two gems and a copper tablet, but not on mosaic pavements.