Une tige végétale dans la mosaïque africaine : millet ou roseau ?

Abstract

A vegetal symbol often found on the mosaics of North Africa has been interpreted, since Paul Gauckler, either as figuring millet (milium), a dry cereal existing in ancient Africa, or as representing reed (harundo), often found in humid places of the Mediterranean landscape. From almost one century, the archaeological literature of the latin countries has finally adopted the millet as a constant interpretation, even in the most recent publications. The authors of this paper take thoroughly in charge the examination of the problem, which is important to solve, because this vegetal symbol is used by one or more factions (factio) in the context of the circus, as well as by more than one sodality (sodalitas) contrasting in the amphitheater games, especially that of the Leontii. The authors reach the conclusion that, in spite of similarities between varieties belonging to both families of vegetals, this symbol cannot be understood as representing millet, linked with drought, summer and agriculture: it has, without any doubt, to be interpreted as reed, which explains its constant association with winter, waters, humid places as well with scenes of hunt in the wilderness.

Keywords

• mosaic
• North Africa
• reed
• millet
• vegetal symbol
• sodality