Classical Heritage and Anti-Classical Trends in the Mosaic Pavement of Lydda (Lod)
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CLASSICAL HERITAGE AND ANTI-CLASSICAL TRENDS IN THE MOSAIC PAVEMENT OF LYDDA (LOD) Classical Heritage and Anti-Classical Trends in the Mosaic Pavement of Lydda (Lod)* Asher Ovadiah and Sonia Mucznik Department of Art History, Tel Aviv University T he polychrome mosaic pavement of Lod discovered in April 1996, measuring approximately 17 m long by 9 m wide, was excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority.1 The mosaic pavement, comprising seven panels, is symmetrically divided into two large carpets by a long rectangular horizontal panel and the entire work is surrounded by white mosaic. The coloured mosaic is composed of stone tesserae and glass cubes of various colours, including black, a reddish tone, brown, white, yellow, ochre, tones of gray, and blue. According to the archaeological findings, such as imported amphorae of the 3rd or 4th century CE (and no later than the 4th century), the mosaic pavement appears to have been laid at the end of the 3rd or beginning of the 4th century CE (Fig.1).2 The Northern Carpet (Figs. 1-4) The northern carpet is framed by a black stripe (A1=AIEMA: Nos.137- 138=Décor 1985: Pl. 1[a])3 and within it a wide white border decorated with diamond patterns (D1,D4 = AIEMA: Nos. 106,106' = Décor 1985: Pl.108[d-g]).4 The wide area between the black stripe and the panels is decorated with florets (stylized flowers). Each of the three panels in this carpet is surrounded by decorative frames of geometric patterns, such as two-strand guilloche (B2=AIEMA: Nos.194= Décor 1985: Pl. 70 (c-j), Pl. 71 [a-e]),5 crowstep (A5- 6=AIEMA: No.162),6 composite guilloche (B12=AIEMA: No.200-201= Décor 1985:Pl. 74 [b,c,e,f,h]) ,7 and waves (B7-8=AIEMA: No.190= Décor 1985: Pl. 101 [a,b,d,e]).8 The Northern Panel (Fig. 2) The northern panel of this large carpet consists of nine hexagons and two trapezoid forms, all framed by two-strand guilloche (B2). Various animals and 1 ASHER OVADIAH and SONIA MUCZNIK Fig. 1: The mosaic of Lydda (Lod), general view (after Avissar 1996). one large basket filled with fish are depicted within the hexagonal decorative frames, in a very conservative and rigid style, individualistic but lacking artistic freedom. An interesting feature in this panel is the opposing directions of the figures within the hexagons.9 The hexagons in the upper row of the panel comprise from right to left the following representations: a naturalistic round basket with two handles, placed vertically and filled with various kinds of fish;10 a lioness attacking and preying upon a stag in a symplegmatic composition;11 a hen surrounded by five chicks, similar to the representation in the mosaic of the ancient synagogue at Beth Alpha,12 as well as on the mosaic pavement from the early Byzantine church of St.Christophe in Qabr Hiram, near Tyre, in Lebanon.13 Next follows a lion depicted with its head en face and its body in a three-quarter pose, resting next 2 CLASSICAL HERITAGE AND ANTI-CLASSICAL TRENDS IN THE MOSAIC PAVEMENT OF LYDDA (LOD) Fig. 2: The northern carpet (after Avissar 1996). to its prey, probably an ox, bull, or cow; and finally two different fish facing opposite directions. In the lower row it is possible to observe, from right to left, a leopard attacking a stag in way similar to that shown in the upper row;14 a peacock with its tail fanned out in a frontal view;15 a water-snake attacking a large fish; a tiger attacking a horse. The figural groups within the extreme hexagons containing the attacking animals, face towards the centre, with the exception of the group of the water-snake wound around the fish,16 and the peacock depicted frontally. An open-mouthed fish and a bird are discernible within each of the trapezoid forms. It is interesting to note that four of the nine figures are preying animals, while three have a marine character, and two are fowl. Some of the depictions express a genre character, as seen in the life-like representation of the basket, the hen, the chicks, and the peacock, while the other animals appear to reflect the struggle for survival in nature. The Central Panel (Fig. 3) The central panel of the large carpet is a square form containing a polygon, with an octagon in its centre, surrounded by triangular and square forms. All these are framed by two-strand guilloche (B2). A pair of dolphins flanking a trident is featured in each of the four corners of this panel. A similar iconographical scheme appears in an Hellenistic polychrome mosaic in the House of the Dolphins in Delos from the second century BCE.17 This comparison enhances the conceptual links between this mosaic and those of the Hellenistic world, indicating the Hellenistic tradition and concept of this Late Antique 3 ASHER OVADIAH and SONIA MUCZNIK Fig. 3: The central panel of the northern carpet (after Avissar 1996). polychrome mosaic. It is highly plausible that the artist or artisan of the Lydda mosaic used patternbooks when creating this floor. In each group of three triangular panels, placed in each corner of the square, a fish is set between two fowl. The fish, as well as the fowl, are of different types. Within two of the square forms appear animals of prey in symplegmatic groups: a leopard with a deer and a lion with a stag. A genre scene is formed by a rabbit nibbling grapes, with a dog placed nearby within the third square. A vase with two female leopards leaping symmetrically onto its brim, one on each side, appears in the fourth square.18 The artist seems to have emphasized the representations within the squares over those in the triangles, as reflected by the size of the area, and the richer polychrome of the figures, as well as by presenting these in groups, while those 4 CLASSICAL HERITAGE AND ANTI-CLASSICAL TRENDS IN THE MOSAIC PAVEMENT OF LYDDA (LOD) Fig. 4: The southern panel of the northern carpet (after Avissar 1996). in the triangles are single. The themes of the figural groups are more stimulating and lively, and their more dramatic and active character derives from the wild nature of the animals, in contrast with the individual animals in the triangles. The central octagon is organized in a freer manner than the triangular and square forms, by presenting the animals on three levels, and thus achieving a sense of space and depth with a certain, albeit innacurate perspective.19 A tiger and a bull appear in the foreground, while an elephant, its body covered by network,20 a giraffe, and a rhinoceros are placed in the middle ground. A lion and lioness appear in the background, seated on two rocky mounds in an antithetic presentation, providing a dramatic and heroic impression.21 The vis- à-vis position of the two animals creates a compositional connection between them, strengthened by the marine monster in the middle. The monster, with its head rearing towards the lioness on the left and its long twisted tail, raised towards the lion on the right, appears to be in a lake or sea.22 The artist here has succeeded in presenting the theme in graduation from foreground to background, achieving a three-dimensional impression. There is a different artistic approach to the animals on each level. Those in the foreground are represented in a pastoral ambience, emphasized in the passive attitude of the tiger toward the bull, which is bellowing. In contrast to the groups in the centre and the foreground, the group in the background, especially the lion and lioness, is arranged in a more Classical manner, resembling the lion and other animals depicted in the Roman mosaic pavement in the Villa Hadriana,23 dated to the first half of the second century CE. Two artistic trends, Classical and anti- Classical (or Oriental), are apparent in this octagonal medallion, creating a certain artistic and conceptual antagonism. 5 ASHER OVADIAH and SONIA MUCZNIK Fig. 5: The attached panel (after Avissar 1996). North African influence is clear in the animals depicted in the middle level and the background, typical of the gallery of African wild animals.24 For comparison, some of these wild animals can be found in other examples of mosaics, such as those in the 4th century CE mosaics of Piazza Armerina.25 In addition, some of the wild animals appearing in the Lydda (Lod) mosaic, such as the elephant, giraffe and lioness, are depicted in the 6th century CE mosaic floor of the Gaza-Maioumas synagogue.26 The Southern Panel (Fig. 4) The decorative border of this panel consists of a plain line (A1) and stepped triangles which are both of a reddish colour. This panel features two sailing boats and a variety of fish of all sizes, such as swordfish and a dolphin, seashells, and other marine creatures (a globular one with soft shell). The upper right corner offers a large fish with an open mouth and a spiral tail; it occupies approximately 1/6 of the whole panel. In the lower part of the panel another large fish is swallowing a smaller one. This is a free composition, with the fish moving in different directions, leading the eye of the viewer from fish to fish. The white ground signifying the sea, without any indication of waves, emphasizes the fish and the boats in the foreground, depicted in various colours. Although the composition lacks three-dimensionality, the gradation of tones within the fishes gives them a certain impression of volume and naturalism.