Aphrodite and Adonis Mosaic - Atrium House
A badly damaged Aphrodite and Adonis mosaic from the Atrium House. The panel was situated at the rear of the room, where it faced the diners reclined on the middle couch of the triclinium (dining room with three couches). The upper portion of the panel was destroyed when it was covered by a later wall.
The enthroned goddess Aphrodite is shown seated beside her beloved, the mortal Adonis, depicted nude with his hunting dog beside him. A seated couple with arms draped about each other is a common image in mythological compositions, and this particular depiction of Aphrodite and Adonis is very similar to a that of sarcophagus relief in the Vatican.
In Greek mythology, Adonis is killed by a wild boar during a hunt, a tragedy even the powers of Aprodite cannot prevent. The mosaic scene is probably just before Adonis' departure for the hunt, which he pursues against the wishes of the goddess. The scene depends on the recognition of the tragic outcome for its significance to be understood by the viewer.
This mosaic's theme may be related to the popularity of the cult of the dying Adonis in the Semitic Near East and in Antioch itself. In the Goddesses of Syria Lucian describes how the women of Byblos lament the death of Adonis at an annual festival held in July: they playact that he comes alive and carry him in effigy to the Temple of Aphrodite, where they place him upon a couch beside his lover. Ammianus Marcellinus, a native of Antioch, reports that the women of Antioch lament and beat their breasts over the death of Adonis and interprets the festival as "a kind of symbol of the ripened grain."
The three main panels of the Atrium House - this one, the Judgement of Paris, and the Drinking Contest - are independent in their subjects, but thematic links may have been noticed by the Roman viewer. For instance, in each panel a mortal (Heracles, Paris or Adonis) faces the trials of fate and the deities.
Information from Antioch: The Lost Ancient City
