A Roman Mosaic Fragment, 3rd/4th Century A.D.

from the border of a large mosaic pavement, depicting in multi-colored stone and glass tesserae on a black ground a hunting erote wielding a spear within a scrolling acanthus stalk, the tesserae set in the original cement bedding.

Christie's, London, July 12th, 1972, no. 371, illus.

as shown, glass paste in spear-point only partially preserved, mortar layers preserved in back are 4.5-inch thick
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The erote is shown ready to strike at an oncoming animal, which would have been represented within the next volute of a long acanthus scroll border. For a related example see C. Dauphin, "A Roman Mosaic Pavement from Nablus," Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 29, 1979, pl. 4A. Also see J. Balty, Mosaïques de Syrie, Brussels, 1977, nos. 45 and 54-56, and Biblical Archaeologist, Dec. 1987, p. 229.

The present fragment might belong to the same pavement as several other fragments found at Zeugma-Seleucia on the Euphrates (present-day Belkis, Turkey) in the late 19th Century and long since dispersed in private and public collections. They are located in Berlin (L. Budde, Antike Mosaiken in Kilikien, Recklinghausen, 1967, pls. 158-165), Rome (W. Helbig, Führer durch die offentlichen Sammlungen klassischer Altertümer in Rom, vol. III; Die Staatlichen Sammlungen, Tübingen, 1969, p. 427), Lisbon (K. Parlasca, "Neues zu den Mosaiken von Edessa und Seleukia am Euphrat," III Colloquio Internazionale sul mosaico antico, Ravenna, 1980-1983, fig. 7, p. 232), and Paris (F. Baratte, Catalogue des mosaïques romaines et paléochretiennes du Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1978, no. 54, pp. 131-132, fig. 139). Another fragment, possibly from the same pavement, was sold at Sotheby's, New York, June 1st, 1995, no. 135, from the collection of Baron Freddy Rolin, also with original cement bedding preserved.