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This mosaic was once part of the mosaic found in an ancient synagogue in what's present-day Tunisia. This specimen dates from c. 550 CE and is made of stone and mortar. The date palm likely symbolized the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life, from the Garden of Eden. For the Jews of Hammam-Lif, Tunisia—located just outside of Tunis—it also evoked the holy city of Jerusalem or "Zion." The former Jewish capital was a place often represented in art by the date palm as dates were a major export crop of that region. (Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York)
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Wiener, J. B. (2017, October 16). Jewish Mosaic of a Date Palm. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7446/jewish-mosaic-of-a-date-palm/
Chicago Style
Wiener, James Blake. "Jewish Mosaic of a Date Palm." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 16, 2017. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7446/jewish-mosaic-of-a-date-palm/.
MLA Style
Wiener, James Blake. "Jewish Mosaic of a Date Palm." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 16 Oct 2017. Web. 21 Dec 2024.
