Samson Mosaic, Wadi Ḥamam

3rd–4th Century

This mosaic panel from the synagogue at Wadi Ḥamam, in upper Galilee, depicts Samson smiting the Philistines. In line with later Jewish tradition, Samson is depicted as a giant, and he is dressed in Roman military garb. His large hand grasps two or three soldiers by their hair, with blood pouring from their heads. At his feet are more Philistine soldiers with blood gushing from their heads, some lying dead on the ground. A horseman gallops away from Samson. At the bottom of the panel, an Aramaic dedicatory inscription commemorates the panel’s donor or artist.

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Credits

© Z. Radovan / Bible Land Pictures.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

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Ancient Mosaics and Architectural Decorations

4th Century BCE–6th Century CE

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