In the Galilean city of Zippori is an exquisite mosaic of a beautiful woman. The mosaic artist was a person of rare talent deploying more colored mosaics than normal to a woman in an artistically pleasing pose. The mosaic dates to the Roman or Byzantine period.
The city of Zippori, called Diocaesarea by the Romans and Sepphoris in Greek, was the capital of Galilee during the time when Joseph and Mary’s family lived in Nazareth. As Zippori was the capital, it experienced a building boom. It was Herod Antipas’ (ruled from 4 BC to 39 AD) capital until he decided to build a new city of Tiberias in 25 AD.
Nazareth is only 4 miles (in a strait line) from Zippori and would have been only about a 1 hour walk. Joseph and his sons, as builders, would have found plenty of employment there, much more than at the small village of Nazareth. While Zippori is not mentioned in the Bible, logic dictates the employment association. It would also be a good place to catch the news from the Roman empire as well as to learn the Greek language (the first language of the Jews at this time was Aramaic).
Zippori remained an important city until the end of the Byzantine period (640 AD). Later the Crusaders built a fortress on the summit of Zippori which still stands.
Below is the full image of the Mona Lisa of the Galilee mosaic and the full floor mosaic in which she is in the bottom center.
Below are other mosaic floor examples at Zippori.
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