Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center
Encyclopedia
The Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center is an archaeological museum in Lod
, Israel
that displays one of the largest best-preserved mosaic floors ever uncovered in Israel.
. The patterns depict birds, fish, animals and plants, in addition to providing detailed images of Roman-era ships. Nothing is written on the mosaic; inscriptions are common in Roman-era mosaics from public buildings, so it is assumed that the mosaic was most likely part of a private villa. The Center hopes to be able to uncover further mosaics in the future. There are also hopes that tourists coming to see the mosaic will increase the prosperity of Lod.
Because of the high quality of the mosaic, it will be exhibited at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art
, the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, the Field Museum in Chicago and the Columbus Ohio Museum of Art.
Unusually for a mosaic floor of this age, the mosaic is in near-perfect condition. The exception is damage to one of the two ships depicted, done when an Ottoman-era cesspit was dug into the mosaic. Despite the damage, students of maritime history have been able to glean a great deal of information from the images. The ships are of the navis oneraria type, Roman merchant ships typically displacing 80-150 tons, used to carry such commodities as garum
and grain form Egypt to Rome.
Archaeologists Elie Haddad and Miriam Avissar suggest that the absence of human figures, rare in Roman-era mosaics, may indicate that the mosaic was commissioned by a Jew who observed the Biblical prohibition of graven images. They further suggest that the expensive mosaic may have been commissioned as a kind of ex-voto
, a thank offering in fulfillment of a vow made upon being delivered from grave danger, in this case, shipwreck. Other maritime historians demur, but Haddad and Avissar point to what appear to be a torn ropes, a broken mast and damaged steering oars, together with the central placement of the damaged ship in the mosaic and the fact that it is apparently about to be swallowed by a giant fish as an artists representation of disaster at sea.
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
that displays one of the largest best-preserved mosaic floors ever uncovered in Israel.
History
The impetus for establishing the center was the discovery of the mosaic in 1996. It was discovered by construction workers widening Ha-Halutz Street, and archaeologist Miriam Avissar of the Israel Antiquities Authority was immediately called to the site. When the mosaic was uncovered, the authorities opened it to the public during a single weekend over the course of which 30,000 people traveled to Lod to see it. It was then covered while funding was sought to conserve the mosaic. Leon Levy Foundation and Shelby White, Chairman of the Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority provided the necessary funding to conserve the mosaic and establish the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Center, which will open to the public in 2012/13.Description of mosaic
The mosaic covers an area of 180 sqm and dates to the third century CECommon Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. The patterns depict birds, fish, animals and plants, in addition to providing detailed images of Roman-era ships. Nothing is written on the mosaic; inscriptions are common in Roman-era mosaics from public buildings, so it is assumed that the mosaic was most likely part of a private villa. The Center hopes to be able to uncover further mosaics in the future. There are also hopes that tourists coming to see the mosaic will increase the prosperity of Lod.
Because of the high quality of the mosaic, it will be exhibited at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, the Field Museum in Chicago and the Columbus Ohio Museum of Art.
Unusually for a mosaic floor of this age, the mosaic is in near-perfect condition. The exception is damage to one of the two ships depicted, done when an Ottoman-era cesspit was dug into the mosaic. Despite the damage, students of maritime history have been able to glean a great deal of information from the images. The ships are of the navis oneraria type, Roman merchant ships typically displacing 80-150 tons, used to carry such commodities as garum
Garum
Garum, similar to liquamen, was a type of fermented fish sauce condiment that was an essential flavour in Ancient Roman cooking, the supreme condiment....
and grain form Egypt to Rome.
Archaeologists Elie Haddad and Miriam Avissar suggest that the absence of human figures, rare in Roman-era mosaics, may indicate that the mosaic was commissioned by a Jew who observed the Biblical prohibition of graven images. They further suggest that the expensive mosaic may have been commissioned as a kind of ex-voto
Ex-voto
An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude or devotion...
, a thank offering in fulfillment of a vow made upon being delivered from grave danger, in this case, shipwreck. Other maritime historians demur, but Haddad and Avissar point to what appear to be a torn ropes, a broken mast and damaged steering oars, together with the central placement of the damaged ship in the mosaic and the fact that it is apparently about to be swallowed by a giant fish as an artists representation of disaster at sea.
External links
- A dedicated website about the Lod Mosaic
- Article about the Lod Mosaic by Metropolitan Museum of Art Curator, Christopher S. Lightfoot
- Artist & Scholar Lillian Sizemore discusses the Lod Mosaic and how ancient Greeks and Romans used the geometric shapes they saw in nature as a foundation for learning by Kathryn Kukula