Fresh Insights into the Lod Mosaic from Israel
By GAIL S. MYHRE
May 9, 2011
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| Roman, Imperial (ca. 300 A.D.). Mosaic Floor. Stone tesserae. Central panel, 4 m x 4 m (13 ft. x 13 ft.); side panel with boats and fish, 4 m x 1.6 m (13 ft. x 5 ft. 3 in.); side panel with hexagonal medallions, 4 m x 1.6 m (13 ft. x 5 ft. 3 in.). Excavated at Lydda (modern Lod), Israel. Israel Antiquities Authority and the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Center. Image courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority. |
The Lod Mosaic (ca. 300 A.D.) is a large, complete and well-preserved floor mosaic found in 1996 during construction close to the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway in Lod (formerly Lydda), Israel. It was displayed briefly in situ before removal from the archaeological site in 2009. Having made its public debut at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (September 28, 2010-April 3, 2011), the work continues its four-city American tour before returning home.
Floor mosaics composed of tesserae (tiny cut stones or pieces of glass) were discovered by archaeologists in the ruins of classical Roman public baths and marketplaces. Others were recovered from Late Antique churches and synagogues. However, the majority of them decorated private villas. The Lod Mosaic probably belonged to the richly embellished home of an affluent Roman citizen residing abroad. Its overall size and complexity indicate that the room in which it was laid was intended for use as an audience or reception hall where visitors were received. The work's themes and subjects suggest that it was designed to impress the owner’s guests with his great wealth.
Imagery of the Lod Mosaic
The mosaic consists of three separate rectangular panels. The largest one is distinguished by scroll scenes inhabited by predominantly North African animals, among them elephants, giraffes, antelopes and rhinoceri. Birds are also depicted, and notably in the corners, fish with a trident motif, perhaps a reference to the god Neptune. Although many of these creatures were rare not only in Lod but throughout Rome, contemporary audiences would have been familiar with them through their presence in the Roman games.
One large section beneath the Lod Mosaic’s central octagon features a kantharos with female panthers surmounting it, both acting as the drinking vessel's handles. This particular image would have been known to imperial Roman viewers because the object and its fierce felines were sacred to Dionysus, the god of abundance. A fine marble example of a similarly designed kantharos with panther handles was uncovered in the ancient city of Petra, a remote Roman outpost in present-day Jordan.
The mosaic’s upper portion repeats the scroll motif with wildlife, including fish, fowl (most notably what appears to be an exotic Indian peacock) and large predatory cats and their prey—quite possibly another Dionysian reference. A basket of fish in the panel's corner, an established and recognizable symbol of plenty, perhaps indicates the mosaic owner's source of prosperity, namely sea trade.
Also rectangular in shape, the Lod Mosaic’s bottom panel is particularly unusual, considering its place of excavation and theme of ships and fish. In fact, the work’s depiction of abundant marine life has excited some comment. The intricately tiled floor was discovered in a location far from the Mediterranean Sea’s eastern coast. Yet Lydda was traditionally a city of Jewish merchants. So it is not unreasonable to assume that upon the region’s annexation, the Romans would have continued their representation of maritime subjects in art. The panel's imagery seems to reinforce the idea that the citizen who commissioned the composition gained his wealth by means of successful seaside enterprises.
Mosaic floors are arguably the best-preserved (and most widely found) examples of Roman art. The Lod Mosaic is uniquely remarkable for its size, diversity of subjects and brilliant color.
The special exhibition titled "The Roman Mosaic from Lod, Israel" is touring the United States. Its itinerary includes The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, California, the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois and the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio.
