Hippolytus Hall
The elaborate figurative design of the floor of a private villa from the 6th century is unique among Jordan's mosaics. It depicts the ancient myth of Hippolytus.
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In the diagonal grid of the west panel (discovered in 1905) there are nilotic motifs: flowers and plants which alternate with aquatic birds. Two sea gulls with extended wings glide over the water.
A dove above the water can be interpreted in different ways: as a Nilotic motif in connection with the palm, the breeding birds or herons from the waters of the Nile, or biblically as a dove of Noah's Ark or the Holy Spirit.
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
The elaborate figurative design of the floor of a private villa from the 6th century is unique among Jordan's mosaics. It depicts the ancient myth of Hippolytus.