Decoration items

Displaying 1 - 3 of 3

Item number	Mosaic floor	Materials, palette	Density	Composition	Geometric patterns	Iconographical motives	Comments	Discussion
1	Mosaic floor	White, gray, pink, wine red, blue-gray	Geometric patterns are composed of tesserae measuring 0.8 x 0.8 cm, averaging on 147 per sq dm.	The floor is paved in scales of white and pink with a wine red center. The composition of the nave contains at its center a large medallion (1.8 m diameter) with an A19 border; surrounding a rosette. The rosette consists of blue-gray, white, pink and red stripes, and boxes and swastikas in perspective all creating an illusionistic effect. The style of execution is highly naturalistic and reminiscent of Hellensitic Mosaics.	Avi-Yonah J3, Avi-Yonah I10, Avi-Yonah A19, Avi-Yonah H9	swastika, rosette
2	Mosaic floor	Black, red, yellow, pink, green, brown, blue, orange. Various materials were used: local limestone, teracotta for yellow, translucent and opaque glass for the green and blue.	On average 147 per dm and finer tesserae of 6.0 x 5.0 cm of about 201 per sq dm for faces and figure details.	On top of the scaled floor (J3) stretches a border frame from the outer north aisle to the southern aisle (60 cm wide, 57 cm long). Eighty seven acanthus scrolls flanked by birds contain a wide variety of human figures, mammals, birds, fruit and decorative motifs. The humans and animals are featured separately or interacting with each other in rural or hunting scenes. For example, a boy attempting to cage a bird or a sleeping dog.The human figures featured are classical in style, both in their nudity and poses, perhaps inspired by a Roman pattern book. Such as the classical theme of a boy extracting a thorn from his foot is depicted. Nevertheless, the figures are not completely classical and achieve some modesty with the help of acanthus leaves and loincloth. There is a great attention to detail in depicting the movements and activities of humans and animals alike, treatment of light and shade and attention to anatomy result in a lively depiction, full of movement and dimension.	Avi-Yonah A2, Avi-Yonah J3	animals, human figure, fruit, Birds, lion, spear, deer, horse, goat, hunting lions, grapes, pheasant, apple and knife, pomegranate, basket, child	The western section of the border is missing.	The popularity of inhabited scroll motif is explained by Biebel (1938: 302) ‘by its variable form capable of indefinite extension in a vertical or horizon-tal direction according to the space to be filled, and at the same time the definite rhythm and compactness which it achieves by the repetition of the circular medallions'. The overall motif of the inhabited scrolls on mosaic pavements was treated as a unit, with the accent on the point of departure of the scrolls—again, by a vase or acanthus leaf flanked by birds or animals or by vases or acanthus leaves stemming from four points. Dauphin (1987: 191) summed up thus: ‘the pavement has become a “carpet” dominated by a repetitive, geometricized pattern, thus a “carpet design”’. Merrony (1998: 465) argues that ‘in Roman villae, the vine was associated with vintaging and Dionysiac scenes, whilst on Early Byzantine Christian pavements, the vine was essentially used as a compositional device’. Hachlili, R. (2009). Ancient Mosaic Pavements : Themes, Issues, and Trends: Selected Studies. Leiden: Brill.
3	Mosaic floor	Yellow, green, black, gray, brown, orange	Average of 147 per dm sq.	The western side of the bema, a space enclosed by a chancel features contains a antithetic heraldic composition of two peacocks facing each other and flanking a gadrooned amphora. The South-eastern area of the apse features a section of a pavement (A19 border). The spaces alternate between E motifs and rosettes.	Avi-Yonah A19, Avi-Yonah E	amphora, peacock, rosette, symmetrical antithetic animals		The peacock became a Christian symbol of immortality, perhaps stemming from the ancient belief that the Peacock's flesh does not decay. (Ferguson, George Wells. Signs and Symbols in Christian Art. Oxford, 1984. p.23.)