How does the Mosaic Floor of the Beth Alpha synagogue correspond to the style and iconography of early Jewish art?
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The ideal Answer should include:
1. Like the wall paintings in the house-synagogue at Dura-Europos, the mosaic depicts human figures in frontal poses with strong outlines and with flat colors.
2. The animals and figures in the mosaic are symbolic. For example, the upper portion of the composition symbolizes the metaphysical realm by depicting a shrine that holds the Torah and Jewish ritual objects, including two menorahs.
3. In the middle of the mosaic, the signs of zodiac and the winged personifications of the four seasons represent the celestial realm.
4. In the lower register, the terrestrial realm is symbolized by the story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac from the book of Genesis; here, the peaceful coexistence of the lion and ox may represent a golden age or peaceable kingdom described in Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:25), and the ram symbolizes how sacrificial offerings took the place Isaac.
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The decline of the big band and subsequent emergence of small jazz clubs was partially due to
a. a wartime tax on dance halls b. a general lack of interest in dancing c. the 1933 repeal of Prohibition d. the greater popularity of bebop as compared to swing
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What will be an ideal response?