Phoenix Mosaic - Rams' Head Border

Border detail of the Phoenix Mosaic, from the "House of the Phoenix," Daphne, late 5th century AD. The design is made up of a repeated motif of two confronted rams' heads set on a pair of open wings with gray ribbons fluttering below. Scholars see in this mosaic a connection with Persian (Sassanian) art, as very similar motifs have been found on textiles, rock carvings, seals and metalwork of the Sassanian period.

Marble and limestone, 30 x 82 in.
Musée du Louvre, N° Inv. Ma 3442. Denon, Rez-de-Chaussée, salle 30.
Worcester Art Museum, 1936.33.

Photo courtesy of Antiquité Tardive.

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