Ceiling tile from the synagogue at Dura-Europas,

early 3rd century CE

These ceiling tiles from the synagogue at Dura Europos feature a pomegranate and a four-petaled flower. When considered with the other 450 tiles from the synagogue’s ceiling, many of which are on display in the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut, the tiles would have created a striking visual program. Some tiles, like these, feature floral motifs, but others depict hybrid creatures, signs of the zodiac, images of the evil eye, and busts of women. The archaeological evidence from Dura Europos, which was located along a central trade route between Antioch-on-the-Orontes and the Near East, testifies to the multiculturalism and religious diversity of the ancient city. In addition to the synagogue, the city was home to temples dedicated to Greek and Roman gods as well as one of the earliest Christian house churches.