Alexander keeps surfacing from the strangest
of places, a proof – if needed – that the world has not forgotten him.
This thought came to me while reading an
article about the latest excavations carried out in an ancient Jewish village of Galilee ,
i.e. in Israel
and that in spite of the ongoing conflicts in the region. Archaeologists are in
the process of uncovering a stunning mosaic floor that belonged to a synagogue
at Huqoq dating from the fifth
century.
After previously uncovered mosaics with
biblical scenes, archaeologists have now come across images that do not fit that
pattern. There is for instance a bull pierced by spears with next to him a dead
soldier holding a shield, and another scene showing young men seated around an
elderly man holding a scroll seen through an arcade topped with burning oil
lamps. And then there is this mosaic depicting two bearded men. One wears a
diadem and is clad in an elaborate battledress and a purple cloak while leading
a large bull by the horns. He is accompanied by a phalanx of soldiers and a
group of elephants with shields tied to their sides. This description alone
triggers my imagination and I immediately think of Alexander, of course, for who else would be surrounded by a phalanx
and elephants? In the mosaic he is met by a grey-haired elderly man in a white
ceremonial tunic and mantle, followed by young men with sheathed swords wearing
the same outfit.
It is evident that no elephants are involved in
any of the bible stories. Archaeologists confirm that battle elephants are
automatically associated with Greek armies ever since Alexander the Great. They
now concluded that this might be a scene from a Jewish legend in which Alexander is meeting a Jewish high
priest. It may be tied to Alexander’s speculative
visit to Jerusalem
that is mentioned by Flavius Josephus
and apparently also in some rabbinic literature. Something worth investigating!
The article, unfortunately, does not show any
picture of this stunning mosaic floor (luckily moved from the site for
conservation) except for the head of what could be Alexander.
Can not see where it fits the bearded head, but one of the images you see part of the mosaic with the elderly and the bottom of the phalanx. Thanks for bringing this interesting archaeological site
ReplyDeletehttp://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=39&Issue=5&ArticleID=9
I agree. In spite of what looks like a thorough explanation I cannot figure this out either, but thought it interesting to hear Alexander pop out of that discovery. Here too, only time will tell.
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