Treasure in the Trash: The ‘Adonis of Dor’

In an architectural dump made in antiquity were found fragments of a beautiful mosaic executed in the technique of opus vermiculatum which displays a theater mask of young masculine gender.The latter appears within a lush garland containing fruits and flowers and is visible against a black ground. This is one of only two examples of vermiculatum found in Israel, and it is dated by the authors to ca. 100 BCE. The mask has long, curly hair and a hat held in place by an elaborate knotted ribbon, as well as open mouth and very expressive eyes. The modeling is refined and the choice of colors rich, with several luminous shades of red. The elegance of this figure has caused it to be called the “Adonis of Dor.” Another fragment of the mosaic shows a curved hunting stick or lagobolon, an attribute typical of a satyr and leading to speculation that the complete pavement had a Dionysiac theme. A perspective meander border framed the mosaic field.