Untitled

50
of Ptolemy in the manuscript of the Vatican Library,
gr. 1291 (pl. III-12b), which probably originated
around 250 C.E. (Webster 1938: pl. 9; Levi
1941: 290) and on the 6th-century mosaic floor
of Hall A at the Monastery of the Lady Mary at
Beth-She"an (pl. VIII.4; Fitzgerald 1939: 7, pls.
6-8). Often different figures are to be found in
the various parts of the design. The contents of
the central circle differ frequently, as in the 1stcentury
CE ceiling decoration of the southern
adytum of the Temple of Bel at Palmyra (fig. III-
11; Seyrig 1933: 258-66, fig. 5; Lehman 1945:
3, fig. 3), a 4th-century mosaic from Carthage
(Webster 1938: 20, pl. 5), and the monastery floor
in Hall A at Beth She"an (pl. VIII.4). The personification
of the seasons, zodiac signs, and Labours
of the Months appear already on a 3rd-2nd
century BCE relief from Hagios Eleutherios in
Athens, rendered without circles (Webster 1938:
5-13, pl. 1). Sometimes the seasons are not included
in the design, as at Palmyra (fig. III-11)
and on the 3rd-century mosaic floor at Münster
(pl. III-12a; Parlasca 1959: 86=87, pls. 84: 2, 86-
87). Several examples have the representations
of the months rather than of the zodiacal signs.
This is found on the 2nd-century mosaic floors
from Antioch (fig. III-14; Levi 1941: 251, 281,
fig. 3; Webster 1938: 26, 119, pl. 2: 2), Carthage,
and the monastery at Beth She"an. Moreover, the
figures for the months are accompanied by their
names whereas the zodiacal signs are not. In some
cases the balance differs, with one section dominating
the others. This is seen at Palmyra, where
the circular dome containing the seven planets
dominates the composition (fig. III-11), and at
Münster, where the sun god in the central circle
is the focal point of the design (pl. III-12a). So
while similarities between these illustrations and
the Jewish designs do exist, the major difference is
that only the Jewish zodiacs follow one particular
scheme. As noted by Lehman (1945: 5), the development
of this scheme originated on the ceiling
and was later projected onto the mosaic floor.
In the zodiac designs of Roman art we can
trace three stages of development illustrated by
the Palmyra ceiling, the Münster mosaic floor,
and the Antioch mosaic floor. The Jewish design
seems to be a continuation of this general development.
The first phase in the development of the design
is the circular zodiac representation on the ceiling
relief of the cella in the 1st-century BCE temple
of Hathor at Dendera and in the Palmyra ceiling
decorations. The Dendra temple depicts the
chapter three
Figure III-11. Stone ceiling with zodiac at Palmyra.
elements of the round heaven supported by four
diagonal corner figures of women, and the signs
of the zodiac and of the Dodekaoros, namely the
stars of the Hours; it is a rich and detailed rendition
presenting a basic type (Lehman 1945: 5).
From these precedents the round shape of the
design developed, to represent the cycle of the
zodiac or of the months.
Two stone ceiling decorations from 1st-century
CE Palmyra are the earliest examples of the radial
zodiac composition. One is the ceiling of the
southern adytum of the Temple of Bel (fig. III-11),
which depicts the circular dome containing the
seven planets that dominates the composition.
The outer circle contains the zodiac signs in a
continuous, running pattern, and the corners of
the square are filled with sirens or eagles (Seyrig
1933: 258-66, Fig. 5; Lehman 1945: 3, Fig. 3;
Gundel 1992: No.44).
The second Palmyra example is a quarter
fragment of a ceiling relief of similar design
(fig. III-12): the inner circle might have rendered
a Dionysus motif; four of the zodiac signs—Aries,
Taurus, Gemini and Cancer, each accompanied
by a star—are depicted in a narrow outer circle;
in the corner of the square a wind’s head is seen
(Gundel 1992: no. 45).
A reflection of this design appears in the
2nd-3rd-century Bir-Chana (Tunis) mosaic floor
(Fig. III-13); the planets are rendered in the centre
of the composition, whereas the outer frame contains
the zodiac signs framed in separate units