page_title: Birds Mosaic (Jerusalem)
section_title: Description and analysis
hierarchical_section_title: Birds Mosaic (Jerusalem) / Description and analysis
caption_attribution_description: English: Mosaic with Armenian inscription, birds within a vine scroll, VI century, funerary chapel of St. Polyeuctos, Musara Quarter, Damascus Gate, Jerusalem. This floor was discovered in the year 1894 during building activities being carried out in the Musrara district, north of the Damascus Gate. A detailed description of the discovery was made by the Englishman, Bliss (Bliss 1898: 253-259).
context_page_description: The Birds Mosaic decorates a floor dated to the sixth century, located about 350 meters north of Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. The inscription at the head of the mosaic, as well as its artistic style, indicate that it was made by Armenian artists.
context_section_description: The mosaic includes many figures of birds, which are inscribed in 39 round medallions formed from images of grape vines. The mosaic is bounded by a colorful "braided" frame. This is a symmetric mosaic, where elements on the right side are "reflected" to the left, so every bird on the right side has a twin on the left side, except those on the central axis. Therefore, most of the birds are facing the central axis. The birds lack "depth " and perspective: while Greek and Roman mosaic art involved perspective and three-dimensional depiction, Byzantine mosaic art which developed in Israel in the 5th century was influenced by Eastern art which tended towards "flattening" of images and division of the area into squares or medallions.
  The mosaic's head is at the entrance to the room, where an amphora is displayed with peacocks on either side. The amphora with peacocks is a common motif in Byzantine mosaic art in Israel, which can also be found in the old church in Nahariya or the Byzantine church in Sebastopol. Thin, round grape vines extend from the mouth of the amphora to create the framework of the 39 medallions. Many grape leaves and clusters branch off of the vines, and are scattered around the mosaic. Interwoven grape vines are another common motif in Byzantine mosaic floors in Egypt, including in synagogues from the period, such as in Gaza and Maon. It seems that the artists of the period thus continued the Roman mosaic tradition.
  The birds have been identified by scholars as a variety of species found in Israel, including pigeons, geese, storks, swallows, partridge, pheasants, and more. Armenian mosaic artists extensively used natural motifs, such as trees, flowers, birds, and other animals. The motifs are therefore a clear characteristic of Armenian art in general, and to this day Armenian ceramics, for example, are characterized by natural designs.
  The subject of the mosaic, according to many scholars, is the memory of the dead by the living, and the passage from this world to the afterlife. The inscription at the head of the mosaic indicates that the chapel was intended to preserve the memory of the deceased, and the entire mosaic comes, then, to strengthen the connection between the worlds. According to this approach, one may see the caged bird as a symbol of the soul encaged in the body, which separates it from the body-free souls in the afterlife. The conch, which appears above the amphora on the central axis of the mosaic, is a motif taken from ancient Greek art, where it symbolizes a holy place or royalty. Perhaps this is a symbol of "the kingdom of heaven". In addition, the eagle (or vulture) which looks backwards, unlike the other birds, perhaps symbolizes the separation from the dead and their memory. The large amphora, grape vines, and two peacocks are also motifs from the afterlife, as archaeologist Michael Avi-Yonah wrote about the synagogue in Maon in the southern West Bank: "The amphora and tendrils represent the Garden of Eden, and the peacocks on either side represent immortality."
caption: Partial view with inscription at top.
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