Sarah Kennedy Image Annotation 1

Reading Connection

As this mosaic was in a synogue, it has clear connections to the Dura Europos reading. In that reading, we learned that contrary to previous thought, synagogues did have art depicting people and objects. This synagogue shares that, and shows the diversity of 5th century Jewish art in concert with Dura Europos.

Reading Connection

This mosaic depicts a zodiac. The Spier reading disucsses how synagogues from this period had zodiac symbolism, so this is not an isolated case but rather part of a number of synagogues which had this kind of motif.

Reading Connection

We see here the four winds. Those are also seen in the Spier reading on the sarcophogus of Junius Brutus. That this motif was seen in both Jewish and Christian art shows that the lines between paganism and mono-theism were blurrier than previously thought.

Global Connection

This is writing is in Aramic, but the text around the Zodiac is in Hebrew (see the pink exclamation mark). This demonstrates the cultural exchanges that were happening between Hebrew speakers and the culture which surrounded them. The use of Hellenistic motifs like Helios in the center shows Greek influence, and a globalized way of spreading artistic motifs and perhaps religious ideas. As mentioned in the points related to the readings, this piece also challenges the canon, because it was previously assumed that synagogue art did not involve visual representations of people or deities.

Hebrew writing

Global Connections

See the pink eye for more description.

Question

What is Helios doing in a synagogue? What was the artist's relationship to the Greek polytheistic religion?

Question

Was the zodiac mosaic used as a functioning calendar to help congregants keep track of time?

Question

Was this mosaic created by Jewish people? Could it have been, like some of the catacombs mentioned in the Saradi-Mendelovici reading, created by pagan neighbors?