Historical Scenes in Mosaics from Late Roman Syria and Palestine: Building on the Seleucid Past in Late Antiquity

Abstract:Among the floor mosaics discovered in the ongoing excavations in the fifth-century synagogue at Huqoq in Galilee, none has elicited more interest than the Elephant Mosaic. The subject matter of this mosaic departs from the artistic conventions believed to govern ancient synagogue art. Contrary to the view that narratives in synagogue mosaics were solely based on scripture, this mosaic depicts the first known example of a historical narrative. Scholars have commonly presumed that engagement with the historical past is rare in floor mosaics. This view requires modification in light of recent mosaic discoveries from Syria that reflect an abiding interest in the region's history. These mosaics bolster our claim that the Elephant Mosaic depicts an episode from the Hellenistic period, indicating that interest in the past among the Jewish communities in Galilee not only transcended the boundaries of sacred scripture but also participated in far broader cultural and artistic trends.