MASK HOUSE AND DOLPHIN HOUSE
2 rich isolated houses sheltering a very rare mosaic bearing the attributes of Greek gods.
The Inopos district owes its name to the sacred stream, now dried up, that once flowed down from Mount Cynthe. The path from the Theater district passes between these two rich, isolated mosaic houses.
The largest, the Maison aux Masques, covers an area of around 1 hectare, and includes four houses built between 150 and 100 BC. Around the restored atrium of the main house, several rooms are decorated with mosaics. Most have a theatrical theme, including masks of actors, but there is also the dance of the satyr Silenus and a magnificent representation of Apollo taming a panther in India.
Immediately to the left of the pathway is the 315m2 Maison aux Dauphins, also dating from the 2nd century BC. Its walls preserve fragments of plaster and decorative paintwork. Its atrium houses a rare mosaic depicting four dolphins wearing the attributes of Greek gods. For one thing, the mosaic is circular rather than rectangular. More importantly, it is one of only six mosaics from Greek antiquity to be signed. The artist was a Phoenician named Asklepiades of Arados. Arados is the name of the Syrian island now known as Arouad. Historians therefore imagine that the owner of the house was himself a Phoenician merchant, which is quite possible in this very "oriental" neighborhood.
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