Table Rim Fragments

Depictions of hunting and wild animals were ubiquitous in the homes of the wealthy during the late Roman and early Byzantine periods. The theme adorned silver plates, textiles, floors, and furnishings such as these marble fragments, which once formed the rim of a table. Here, the artist has represented a range of animals in combat, including a stag, ram, boar, and dog. The meaning of this imagery changed according to context: in the home it would remind viewers of different forms of entertainment, such as hunting or public games. In a church, on the other hand, it might symbolize the sinful world with its cycles of violence and death.