Daniel at Sardis

Abstract

Recently identified among the architectural decoration of the Sardis Synagogue are three fragments of an incised relief depicting four lions and a standing figure. Composition, iconography, and style suggest this represents the biblical figure of Daniel as understood by a local sculptor in the fifth century. The lack of close comparanda, either Jewish or Christian, reflects the relief's immediate working environment and the way religious images were perceived outside the artistic mainstream of late antiquity.