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Baalbek (Heliopolis)
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Baalbek or Heliopolis
(Ἡλιούπολις, "sun city"): town in the northern Bekaa valley,
site of the largest sanctuary in the Roman world.
Villa of Suweydie
The
mosaic shown on this page, was discovered in the Roman villa of
Suweydie, not far from Baalbek. It dates back to the third century CE and is
now on display in Lebanon's National
Museum in Beyrut.
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Calliope
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It represents the Seven Sages, together with Socrates,
and Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. The combination is not unusual,
and neither is the selection of the seven, with their apopthegms:
- Thales of Miletus ("a guarantor ruins himself"),
- Pittacus of Mytilene ("know your opportunity"),
- Solon of Athens ("nothing in exess"),
- Bias of Priene
("most people are bad")
were more or less canonical, while the remaining three were on a list
of seven sages by Demetrius of Phaleron, a well-known author:
- Cleobulus of
Lindos ("moderation is best"),
- Chilon of Sparta ("know thyself"), and
- Periander of Corinth ("practice makes perfect").
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Periander
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Solon
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Cleobulus
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Chilon
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Bias
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Pittacus
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Thales
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Socrates
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On the opposite end of the mosaic is this picture of Mother Earth
(Gaia, Ge), who is offered several ears of wheat from Theros, the
personification of Summer. A part of the mosaic is lost, but it is a
fitting picture to represent the fertile Bekaa valley. Again, there is nothing special about this representation, but it is well-preserved.
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©
Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org,
2012
Revision: 29 July 2012 |
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