Ḥorvat Beth Loya - Church - Narthex

What can be learned from the marginal fragments survived: the outer border consisted originally from the populated wine scrolls, with humans (east), animals and birds, while the corners (south-west and north-east) were set with fruit baskets. Unlike the inhabited scrolls of the Nave that imitate a rather regular geometric design with one figure or object within each medallion, the grape vines of the Narthex are more free of a strict formal pattern. The figural images too are not limited to one medallion frame, but rather overlap the pattern, extend over two or more medallions or "disturb" one another within the same scroll-frame. This dynamism in composition is mirrored in themes selected - running lioness, pecking ibis(?), dog chasing a rabbit - the figures are better described in motion. The animals include a deer, a collared hunting dog chasing a rabbit, a dugged lioness and various swamp fowl. At the centre of the western border a cross or a tree was apparently depicted, flanked by lambs. The medallions along the eastern border contain human figures alternating with animal representations. Only the upper parts of the figures survive (two male and one female bearing a basket of fruit on her shoulder), but these fragments include faces, otherwise destroyed in all other mosaics in situ.