Floor Mosaic with Orpheus

Salona, probably before the 5th century?
Mosaic
Archeological Museum, Split, Croatia

Almost everything in the outdoor collection at the museum is from Salona, which was destroyed in the 6th and 7th centuries by the Slavs and Avars. By the 5th century the city was largely Christian.

Shown here is the center of the mosaic, with Orpheus inside a band of birds, playing his harp in a sylvan setting while various animals gather around. This common iconography may have influenced the Good Shepherd images of the Christians.

See below for photographs of the context.
Read more about images of the Good Shepherd.

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Photographed at the museum by Claire Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

Left: The whole mosaic. Right: On display in the museum.