3-D Geometry of the Lod Mosaic

Is the
Lod Mosaic
Based On 3-Dimensional Geometry?

Michael S. Schneider

Last year when I became aware of the magnificent Roman mosaic discovered in Lod, Israel, explored by the archaeologist Miriam Avissar, I immediately noticed that it was designed with intentional geometry in mind.

Israel Antiquities Authority

Most interesting is the central square, composed of squares and isoceles triangles surrounding a nearly regular octagonal center.
It reminds me of a flattened and distorted slice of a three-dimensional Archimedian solid
known as a "truncated cuboctahedron," also called a "great rhombic cuboctahedron."

The relationship is easier to see when we look at the octagon straight-on (below left).
In the three-dimensional solid, the triangles surrounding the octagon are equilateral triangles (part of regular hexagons).
But on the Lod mosaic the triangles are isoceles triangles, making it easier for the design to become two-dimensional.
A folded version of the Lod mosaic center is shown below (right).

The design of the mosaic, its isoceles triangles now equilateral, can be made to wrap all around the full truncated cuboctahedron:

Here is an informative article about the Lod Mosaic by Dr. Lightfoot from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The Lod mosaic is presently on tour in the United States at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
and will be shown at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco and elsewhere.