Mosaic, Church of Bishop Sergius, Umm ar-Rasas
Detail of a Byzantine floor mosaic depicting a lamb, Christian symbol, to the right of the dedicatory medallion with Greek inscription in front of the altar, dating the mosaics to 587 AD, from the Church of Bishop Sergius, built 586 AD in the time of Bishop Sergius of Madaba, Umm ar-Rasas, Amman, Jordan. It was built as a basilica with an apse and elevated presbytery and forms part of an ecclesiastical complex of 4 churches. Umm ar-Rasas is a rectangular walled city which grew from a Roman military camp in the Jordanian desert. Its remains date from the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad periods (3rd - 9th centuries), including 16 churches with mosaic floors. Excavations began in 1986, although most of the site remains unexplored. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Picture by Manuel Cohen
