Battling Giant

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Illustration

Dana Murray
by
published on 29 August 2015
Battling Giant Download Full Size Image

The oldest known synagogue mosaic with figurative motifs, this scene depicts a battle between a giant and soldiers armed with swords, shields, and lances. The soldiers are depicted as either wounded or dead. At the edge of the mosaic a cavalryman flees, with the legs of another warrior included above him.

The scene may depict Samson fighting the Philistines or Goliath battling the Israelites. An Aramaic donor inscription is found below: "...son of Shimona and... made this mosaic at their own expense."

Excavated at Khirbet Wadi Hamam, near the Sea of Galilee dating to the 3rd-4th century CE. Stone Mosaic, currently housed in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

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About the Author

Dana Murray
Researcher with interest in the art, architecture and religion of ancient Greece and the Near East.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Murray, D. (2015, August 29). Battling Giant. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4030/battling-giant/

Chicago Style

Murray, Dana. "Battling Giant." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 29, 2015. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4030/battling-giant/.

MLA Style

Murray, Dana. "Battling Giant." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 29 Aug 2015. Web. 22 Mar 2023.

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