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pattern book (Hachlili 1988: 391, 394; 2002: 236).
The schemes as well as the contents of these mosaics
are identical, and as they are only found in
Jewish synagogal art the existence of such sketch
books is attested. Differences among them in style
and execution may be put down to the variability
of the individual artists’ skill and style.
The fact that the zodiac mosaic was used several
times makes it obvious that the Jewish community
was not interested merely in a strictly decorative
design for its floors. There must have been
something unique about this particular design that
caused the community to wish to adopt it. Probably
it regarded the zodiac as a suitable vehicle
for expressing conceptual needs. The community’s
intent was to portray a decorative design,
but also to express a deeper import. Through this
chapter three
balanced representation of the three elements,
sun god, zodiac and seasons, a twofold purpose,
of significance and design, could be achieved.
Consequently, annual religious rituals could be
graphically portrayed in the synagogue’s interior
decoration itself. From this it can be seen that the
fundamentally pagan zodiac cycle came to serve
the Jewish community as a popular, symbolic figured
calendar, and was employed as a significant
framework for the annual synagogue rituals.
The Jewish community assigned great importance
to a design that expressed significant concepts,
and had more than a merely decorative
function. The integrated representation of these
three symbolic elements successfully united design
and significance in Jewish art, achieving decoration
as well as symbolic vitality.