Believer In Yeshua
Capernaum Magdala Mosaic-1st Century
The nearby Magdala, is situated just above Tiberias on the Western shore of Galilee, yielded this fragment of a 1st century mosaic. Amongst its depictions is a boat, which has always excited interest in connection with the fishing industry based around the Galilee lake, in particular here in Capernaum. However, Ronny Reich, in a 1991 paper, suggested a new interpretation of this mosaic.
He suggests that all of the objects in this mosaic are of similar size. For him the top left-hand pattern represents a pair of strigili, withan aryballos (ointment bottle), connected
by a chain to the ring. Strigili were in common use in the Roman life for scraping oil off a body, along with any dirt. He does not attempt an interpretation of the symbols to the right. However, he correctly identifies a kantharos with a fish below it. He suggests this fish is served on a plate and ready to eat. thus the boat, he suggests, is of a similar size.
There are a number of examples of table furnishings of model boats such as this from the Roman period - they might be used as multi-wick lamps. He also points out that there is mention of "boat pottery" in Rabbinic literature. Such vessels cannot become impure as they are not used as containers.
Thus, for Reich, this mosaic depicts a still-life of a typical table-setting. Rather than concentrating on the boat we should take account of the vast amounts of Olive Oil that seems to have been made locally and combine that with the fish, exported throughout the Roman Empire.
Capernaum Magdala Mosaic-1st Century
The nearby Magdala, is situated just above Tiberias on the Western shore of Galilee, yielded this fragment of a 1st century mosaic. Amongst its depictions is a boat, which has always excited interest in connection with the fishing industry based around the Galilee lake, in particular here in Capernaum. However, Ronny Reich, in a 1991 paper, suggested a new interpretation of this mosaic.
He suggests that all of the objects in this mosaic are of similar size. For him the top left-hand pattern represents a pair of strigili, withan aryballos (ointment bottle), connected
by a chain to the ring. Strigili were in common use in the Roman life for scraping oil off a body, along with any dirt. He does not attempt an interpretation of the symbols to the right. However, he correctly identifies a kantharos with a fish below it. He suggests this fish is served on a plate and ready to eat. thus the boat, he suggests, is of a similar size.
There are a number of examples of table furnishings of model boats such as this from the Roman period - they might be used as multi-wick lamps. He also points out that there is mention of "boat pottery" in Rabbinic literature. Such vessels cannot become impure as they are not used as containers.
Thus, for Reich, this mosaic depicts a still-life of a typical table-setting. Rather than concentrating on the boat we should take account of the vast amounts of Olive Oil that seems to have been made locally and combine that with the fish, exported throughout the Roman Empire.