Spilling out of an amphora (oval-shaped jar) used to transport wine, a grape vine circles around birds and mammals. This type of motif is ubiquitous in mosaic pavements of the 6th century, appearing in religious and secular contexts throughout western Asia. Broadly fashionable in the ancient world, the design held different meanings across diverse faiths. Wine played an important role to followers of the god Dionysos and in Roman and Sasanian banqueting traditions. In a Jewish synagogue, especially when associated with the menorah and ethrog, a citrus fruit, the motif might suggest God’s vineyard. In Christian church pavements, the design could resonate with scriptural passages that compared Jesus to the vine.