House of Leontis Complete
ID: 109
Building type: house
Context:
urban
Description:
The space is a single chamber within a courtyard house. Its floor preserves a mosaic bearing four inscriptions—one in Greek and three in Semitic languages. At the center appears a seven-branched menorah, with the Hebrew word shalom set within the central panel. Along the northern border of this panel’s frame runs a four-line Aramaic text, arranged within a tabula ansata and originally flanked by two roosters; only the left bird is still extant. South of the central field, two guinea fowl in heraldic opposition flank a vessel—either a bowl or a chalice—accompanied by another Aramaic inscription. Access to the room was provided by doorways in the north and east walls. Crossing the northern threshold, one encountered a panel showing two lion cubs placed on either side of a chalice. The threshold oriented to those exiting through the eastern doorway carries the single Greek inscription, positioned between two pheasants. Excavators judged this Greek text to be a later insertion, as the frame encroaches upon the birds’ imagery. Elsewhere in the complex, additional Greek inscriptions are located in the area designated “Hall 3” at the northwest end and in the courtyard. These include Jewish symbols such as a menorah and refer to Leontis, likely the building’s owner (see: https://library.brown.edu/iip/viewinscr/bshe0010/ and https://library.brown.edu/iip/viewinscr/bshe0011). However, whether these elements were conceived, constructed, and used in the same phase as the room described is uncertain. The nature of the complex also remains unclear: it may have been a private residence with a prayer space, or a more public facility such as a hostel for travelers. Source of plan: Bahat 1981, p. 83, courtesy of Dan Bahat and the Israel Exploration Society © synagogues.kinneret.ac.il Further reading: - Habas, L. 2021. The Mosaic Floors of the House of Kyrios Leontis in Nysa Scythopolis (Beth Shean), Journal of Mosaic Research 14: 169–197. - Milson, D. W. 2007. Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine: In the Shadow of the Church. Leiden, p. 318. - https://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/beth-shean-leonitis/