Mosaic Floor with Views of Alexandria and Memphis Artist: Unknown

ca. A.D. 540

Ancient Art

On view, 1st floor, Ancient Art

The Egyptian cities of Alexandria (left) and Memphis (right) are depicted here surrounded by tall date palms and lush, aquatic plants, the flora of the Nile. The high, turreted walls and the architecture within are depicted in the typical Byzantine style: a combination of bird’s-eye and perspective views. The church of Saints Peter and Paul, where this mosaic once lay, and its founder, Bishop Anastasius, are mentioned in the Greek inscription at center.

Medium

Mosaic: limestone tesserae

Dimensions

156 × 240 in. (396.3 × 609.6 cm)
component f: 19 1/2 × 19 1/4 × 1 5/8 in. (49.5 × 48.9 × 4.1 cm)

Credit Line

The Yale-British School Excavations at Gerasa

Accession Number

1932.1735

Geography

Excavated in Gerasa, Jordan

Culture

Gerasa (Jordan)

Period

Early Byzantine

Classification

Mosaic

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Excavated by the Yale-British School Excavations at Gerasa (Church of SS. Peter and Paul), present-day Jordan, 1928–34; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Lisa R. Brody and Gail Hoffman, eds., Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire (Chestnut Hill, Mass.: McMullen Museum of Art, 2014), 4, 238, no. 3, pl. 3, fig. 1.2
  • Helen C. Evans and Brandi Ratliff, Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition, 7th–9th Century, exh. cat. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012), 12, fig. 9
  • Lisa R. Brody et al., "A Floor Mosaic from Gerasa," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2010), 80–83, fig. 1–4
  • Susan B. Matheson, Art for Yale: A History of the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2001), 111–12, fig. 105
  • Jerry Podany and Susan B. Matheson, "Urban Renewal: The Conservation of a City Mosaic from Ancient Gerasa," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (1999), 20–31, fig. 1, 5–9
  • Handbook of the Collections, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 273, ill
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

floors, histories (visual works), tesserae (mosaic components)

Technical metadata and APIs

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Open in Mirador

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