Mosaic pavement depicting Ge (Earth),

mid 2nd century CE

Excavated in 1935, these fragments originally decorated the House of Ge and the Seasons in Daphne-Harbie, an elite suburb of Antioch-on-the-Orontes. They formed part of a large floor mosaic that consisted of an elaborate geometric pattern, with figural roundels in the center and at each corner, although, as shown in the photograph below, one corner roundel has been lost. In the center appears Ge, the female personification of the earth. Joining her are the seasons: Spring, Summer, and Winter; presumably Autumn would have once occupied the now-missing corner. Each figure is adorned with wings, and is identified by an inscription and an attribute: Spring wears flowers on her head, Summer holds a sickle for harvesting, Ge bears a cornucopia, and Winter is covered in a heavy cloak. Together, the personifications embody the cyclical passage of time each year and the renewal of the earth’s agricultural resources.