Image Details

Photo by Gabi Laron

MORE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE. Other fragments of the Dor mosaic were recovered during the excavation of the architectural dump. Only a few small pieces of the floor’s center have been found, but they are enough for the excavators to identify a possible figure of Pan. At the top of the fragment, a pink, carefully shaded arm clutches a gold, curved stick, while part of a gray rock can be seen at the bottom of the piece. The curved stick is easily recognizable as a lagobolon, or throwing stick, used by Pan, hunters, shepherds and centaurs. These small clues indicate not only that the scene is outdoors but that it is in fact in the wilderness. This and the other mosaic remnants suggest that the center mosaic panel featured a lively Dionysiac scene suitable for an elegant dining room.