Zodiac mosaics in ancient synagogues
Zodiac mosaics in ancient synagogues are known from at least five examples from the Land of Israel in the 4th-6th centuries CE during the Byzantine period. As a typical arrangement, the mosaic floors of such synagogues consisted of three panels, the central one containing the Jewish zodiac.[1]
Inventory
The examples cited by Hachlili in 1977 are the synagogues at Hammat Tiberias (4th century), Husaifa (5th century), Na'aran and Beth Alpha (6th century).[1][2] The large synagogue of Sepphoris (5th-6th century), more recently discovered, has a different panel scheme; the one at Susiya probay had a zodiac mosaic in the 6th century, which was later replaced by a non-figurative pattern; at En Gedi there is an inscription with the names of the zodiac signs and the corresponding Jewish months, but no imagery; at Meroth archaeologists found three slabs containing zodiac signs; and finally the Yafi'a synagogue, with a different layout and whose twelve medallions set between two circles are lost except for one plus a fragmentary second, tentatively interpreted as depicting either the Twelve Tribes or the zodiac.[2]
Analysis
Some of the buildings' art was remarkably well-preserved, giving a window into the specifics of partially-lost traditions. The craftsmanship of these as well as of other unexpected historical Jewish art has been previously called "touchingly naive," "untutored," and even "primitive," but these critical dismissals are now[3] outdated.
In 1993, the most elaborate mosaic yet was found in Sepphoris. It has some uniques: scenes of the accessories and sacrifices of the Temple and a scene of the angels visiting Abraham and Sarah. "Elegant indeed... we find Scorpio (עקרב) together with its Hebrew month Heshvan (חשון), Sagittarius (קשת) together with Kislev (כסלו)".[4]
Hachlili[5] says Jewish communities "always used the same scheme for their floors." There are four figures (seasons) on the outer corners. Within is a roundel with twelve depictions. In the bullseye is a sun god with the appropriate horses-chariots imagery. Jodi Magness argues the sun god is Helios and to be identified with Metatron. [6]
The Beth Alpha example has been called one of Israel's great artistic treasures,[7]
so filled with feeling and so packed with information for scholars to study. It revolutionized ideas about ancient Jewish attitudes toward representational art, which many previously believed had been nonexistent.
Similar examples from Greece
The combination of zodiac signs grouped around Helios and with personifications of the four seasons in the corners is typical for ancient synagogues from Eretz Israel.[8] However, Ruth Jacoby signalled in 2001 the only known exception, from the Tallaras Baths in Astypalaea, Greece.[8] There, the scheme is completed by the personifications of the twelve solar months, which surround those of the lunar calendar (the zodiac signs).[8] Additionally, two more similar examples from Greece are known, none of them synagogues, where the four seasons in the corners are however replaced by the four winds of heaven: one in Sparta (4th century), which also has the solar calendar (the twelve months), and one from Thessaloniki.[8] Jacoby suggests that the depiction of the lunar and solar calendars, both in use at the time, must have been such common motifs that they reached even such a remote place as the island of Astypalaea.[8]
See also
- Ancient synagogues in Palestine
- Dendera temple complex, zodiac (ancient Egypt)
- Jewish views on astrology
- Historic synagogues
- Mazzaroth, Hebrew word with various meanings related to constellations, zodiac
External links
- Possibly the highest-quality version generally available of the header image may be found here
- Rarer sort of all-in-one photo of Zippori (Sepphoris) synagogue here
- Wiki Commons: Mosaic of the Maon synagogue
- "Zodiac Signs & the Four Symbolic Animals in Synagogue Art", photos of decorative motifs in East European synagogues: wheel of the zodiac and "the four animals"
Bibliography
- An overview mentioning all four. Hachlili, Rachel (1977). "The Zodiac in Ancient Jewish Art: Representation and Significance". Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (228). American Schools of Oriental Research: 61–77. ISSN 0003-097X. JSTOR 1356500. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- Magness, Jodi (2005). "Heaven on Earth: Helios and the Zodiac Cycle in Ancient Palestinian Synagogues". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 59. Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University: 1–52. ISSN 0070-7546. JSTOR 4128749. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
References
- ^ a b Hachlili 1977, pp. 61.
- ^ a b Hachlili, Rachel (2002). "The Zodiac in Ancient Jewish Synagogal Art: A Review". Jewish Studies Quarterly. 9 (3): 219–58 [219–20]. Retrieved 8 April 2024 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Chakovskaya, Lidia (2021-01-01). Rick Bonnie; Raimo Hakola; Ulla Tervahauta (eds.). "The Artistic Milieu of the Mosaic of the Beth Alpha Synagogue". The Synagogue in Ancient Palestine: Current Issues and Emerging Trends. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- ^ "Jewish Worship, Pagan Symbols". Biblical Archaeology Society. 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- ^ Hachlili 1977, pp. 61–77.
- ^ Magness 2005, pp. 1–52.
- ^ "Bet Alpha Synagogue". Frommer's. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- ^ a b c d e [Jacoby, Ruth. "The Four Seasons in Zodiac Mosaics: The Tallaras Baths in Astypalaea, Greece." Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 51, no. 2, 2001, pp. 225–30. JSTOR, {{|http://www.jstor.org/stable/27926977}}. Accessed 8 April 2024.]