5th-Century Mosaic Adorned with Elephants and Cupids

By Elizabeth Goldbaum, Staff Writer |

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A section of the mosaic showing an elephant discovered in 2013. This section is part of the larger mosaic exposed in summer 2015.

Credit: Jim Haberman

Stunning mosaics have turned up during an archaeological dig of a fifth-century synagogue in northern Israel.
Tiny earth-hued stones in the mosaics swirl to form images of women surrounded by cupids holding discs, mythological creatures, a rooster, expressive theater masks and symbols of Dionysus (Bacchus), the Greco-Roman god of wine. And painted ivy crawls up columns covered with plaster. These recent discoveries add context and scenes to previously uncovered mosaics and inscriptions on the same and adjacent panels.