The Mosaic Floors of the Church at Hazor-Ashdod, Israel

Abstract

A basilica has been found in Hazor-Ashdod, with a narthex in the west and a hall attached on the north side. The eastern part has not survived, but a capital of an altar table leg has been found, not in situ. The complex is decorated with mosaic floors, and each part of the building is decorated with a different pattern. The dedicatory inscriptions on the mosaic floors date completion of the mosaic floor in the northern hall to 506/507 CE, and completion of the basilica floor to 512 CE. The nave of the basilica is emphasized by the choice of a vine scroll pattern, populated by inanimate objects, animals, and birds. The carpet is dynamic, rich and crowded with motifs. By contrast, the aisles, the intercolumnars, and the northern hall are decorated with geometric carpets. Special panels mark the entrances to the nave, the northern aisle, and the transition between the first and second carpet in the northern hall. The Hazor-Ashdod panels contain a few crosses, the letters Α, Ω, Ι, Χ, and motifs with deep and symbolic Christian significance. All the motifs in the panels are depicted in one direction – from west to east from the viewpoint of a worshipper entering the church. The mosaic floor is similar in style, composition and iconography to early 6th century CE mosaic floors in the southern coastal plain, western Negev, and Gaza area. The floor belongs to a group of mosaics made to a moderately high technical standard. The style is schematic and quite flat. The style and technique are uniform throughout the church, and differ from those documented in the neighboring mosaic floors – evidence that they were made by an anonymous artist or a local workshop.

Keywords

• hazor-ashdod
• gaza area
• populated vine scrolls
• crosses
• the greek letters alpha
• omega
• iota
• chi