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Salvation Symbolized: Baptismal Imagery in a 6th Century Baptismal Font from Kélibia, Tunisia

Paper and Poster

American Schools of Oriental Research1999

A multi-stepped, quadrilobed baptismal font, dating to the early 6th Century CE, was uncovered in Kelibia, Tunisia in 1953. This font, found adjacent to the apse of a basilica, was covered with mosaic images, including birds, fish, trees, candles, Chi-Rho crosses, and water-filled kraters sprouting with vines. Since its publication, there has been some unresolved debate over the identification of certain of these images and the overall significance of the decoration and the inscriptions. A consideration of the physical orientation of the font relative to the basilica and an examination of liturgical texts from the 6th Century and earlier periods may help to shed light on the meaning of these images. Specifically, people entering the font to be baptized would have been surrounded by images of salvation, the Holy Spirit, and the Eucharist, all emphasizing the nature and beliefs of the community they were about to enter.

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