The Representation of the Nile on Mosaics: Various Contexts, Various Meanings

Abstract

Based on a few examples from different regions of the Roman Empire, we study the representation of the Nile from the end of the Hellenistic period to Late Antiquity. Depending on the case, the river is represented for itself, as a major element of the Egyptian landscape, a pleasant setting that brings benefits and abundance; this landscape, characterized by its flora and fauna, can also be depicted in “Nilotic scenes” with caricatured characters. In other representations, on the other hand, the god Nile is personified and the celebrations offered to him are shown to greet - and guarantee - the abundance of his flood, source of wealth and pleasure. It also happens that the personification of the Nile only serves as an allegory of the river, without wanting to highlight the god. These different iconographic schemes were to be found and intermingled in all regions of the Roman Empire until Late Antiquity. We show how the same iconography can take on, depending on the context, a religious character - when these images are associated with the cults of Egyptian deities, particularly Serapis - or a profane character, essentially in a domestic context. In the early Christian period, the Nile was considered one of the rivers of Paradise, and images of it took on a new meaning for both the commissioners and the faithful. We show how the same iconographic elements were used in different contexts, and how they were adopted, sometimes adapted, to serve different purposes and ideologies.