Mosaics As History: The Near East from Late Antiquity to Early Islam

From the book: Viewed ... across the continuum of late antiquity, stretching from Constantine all the way into the early Islamic period, the abundant mosaics in the Near East not only illustrate the society of the age, as we know it from literary texts, but extend and enrich our knowledge of it. From these images the uses of Hellenism among Jews, Christians, and pagans alike emerge with clarity.... The coherence and tolerance in this disparate world explain the deep peace that most of Palestine, Syria, and Transjordan enjoyed over many centuries.... The late-antique Near East was a kind of miracle, and its like has never been seen in that region again. Book jacket.