A mosaic of the Book of Daniel in the Ya’amun church

The northern panel of the basilica of Ya’amun dated to the late 5th or the first decade of the 6th century is decorated with a Biblical scene. The panel is divided in three parts, the first two depicting a Nilotic scene with a nilometer. On the eastern side is a pomegranate tree, with green leaves, a straight trunk, and five pomegranate fruits that may symbolize, according to the authors, the five books of the Torah, Genesis-Exodus-Leviticus-Numbers-Deuteronomy. Two figures standing by the sides of the tree, unfortunately damaged, seem to be collecting the fruits. The following group of persons can be identified, thanks to the inscriptions, as Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael. The four brothers show typical hats with hands raised as orants, while a fire is illustrated in the lower part of the panel recalling the Biblical Book of Daniel and the Babylonian captivity during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.