Coptic textile fragment, unknown maker from Egypt

The human figures in this textile may be pyrrhic dancers alternating with lions. Pyrrhic dancing is a Greek dance that is thought to have started with Athena after her and the Olympians defeat of the Giants. The dance was a competition among young Athenians using war tactics, hence the shields in the fragments. The dance was later adopted by the Romans. Several Coptic textiles include pyrrhic dancers often with their legs crossed. The alternating orientation of the human and animal figures was often used in serial compositions to distinguish one set of motifs from another set. The borders on either side of the figures are crenellated.