Geometric References of Roman Mosaics in North Africa (original) (raw)
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Between Global and Local: Geometric Patterns of Gallic Roman Mosaics
2018
directly or not, you all have helped me in this project. Thanks to Dr. Effie Athanassopoulos for assisting with funding applications. I would also like to thank the entire faculty and staff of the School of Art, Art History, and Design, you have all made my time at UNL a wonderful experience. Additionally, a special thank you to all my fellow graduate students at UNL during my time here for their understanding, encouragement, and friendship. I wish to thank all my family and friends who continue to support me through all my higher education. To the Loyola Girls for their friendship and reminders that there is more to life than this thesis. Thanks also to the UCL crew who seem to have accepted that one MA was not enough for me. Gratitude to Dr. Robert Babcock for his support, friendship, and mentoring during my time in Nebraska. I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Lorraine Edwards for everything she has done for me, the list exceeds the allotted space, but especially for her kindness, patience, and reassurance through everything and anything. The warmest of thanks to Richard Loutzenheiser for his friendship, again, an endless list, and for reminding me that I am braver than I believe, stronger than I seem, v and smarter than I think. Thank you to Dr. Chris Siwicki, whose patience and humor have been much appreciated during this project. To my brother, Sam, for always being there for me. Lastly, a huge thank you to my parents, for their constant and never-ending love and support. vi Grant Information This research would not have been possible without the generous funding made available from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Initial support from the Anthropology Department Weakly Fund in the summer of 2016 to France encouraged me to pursue this project and to expand it further. A Scholarly grant from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts allowed me to travel to the south of France and western Germany to see the mosaics in person. Additionally, the School of Art, Art History, and Design Trabold fund contributed to my field work and research in 2016 and 2017. A Presentation of Scholarly Activity Grant from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts facilitated the presentation of my thesis research at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Postgraduates in Ancient History in London. Lastly, I would like to thank the Associate Dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, Dr. Christopher Marks, for his advice and his administration of the Graduate Advisory Board.
Geometrical Mosaic Pavements of the Church of Bishop Leontios at Ya'amun (Northern Jordan)
Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 2011
In 2001 at the site of Ya'amun in northern Jordan a church was recovered from the Byzantine period, dating to the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century ad, where impressive and well-preserved mosaic pavements were uncovered. One of these bears an inscription mentioning Bishop Leontios, and this building will therefore be referred to as the Church of Bishop Leontios. In this article, the authors endeavour to show that the Ya'amun mosaicists were true masters of their profession. They combined motifs with a long tradition, going back to the early and middle Roman imperial age, with newly created designs that appear here for the first time. The new designs comprise a composite motif of interlocked circles and squares, which was adopted shortly thereafter in the church of Procopius at Gerasa (ad 526). On the other hand, the motif of intersecting circles forming quatrefoils is already found in Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli. This study will try to demonstrate the history and the survival of several geometric patterns from the floor mosaics of the Church of Bishop Leontios by comparisons with other examples of the same patterns from Jordan and neighbouring countries, as well as from further afield. A peculiarity of the mosaic floors in the Church of Bishop Leontios is that they are now almost purely geometrical in design as a result of iconoclasm.
Geometric Decoration Mosaics at Rihab: A Comparative Study
Adumatu, 2019
Rihab (North east Jordan) is one of the most important Jordanian sites that contain many Byzantine churches. Archeological studies indicate that the area of Rihab contains more than thirty-five churches, most of which are decorated with geometric decoration, indicating that it is an important center in the field of decorative arts. The Church of Saint Mary was chosen as it provides an important example in the study of decorative geometrical ornaments although most of the animal or human forms were affected by the movement of iconoclasm. This study aims to describe and analyze the geometrical mosaic pavements used in the floors of the Church of Saint Mary at Rihab, and also to compare them with the pavements found elsewhere dating to relatively the same period. In particular, we are interested in pavements dating to the Roman and Byzantine periods, where both local and external influences are known.
2011
""Dozens of mosaic floors were discovered in excavations conducted in Tiberias and its southern suburb, Hammat Tiberias, from the early 20th century to the present. These mosaics adorned the floors of both public and private buildings, synagogues and churches; dating from the third through the mid eighth centuries. At present the mosaics from these sites have mostly remained outside of academic debate, due to their poorly preserved state and a lack of comprehensive research. This work is a compilation of all available material regarding the mosaics from Tiberias and Hammat Tiberias, thereby creating a database able to serve current and future studies of the mosaics from this region of the Galilee. The group of mosaics considered here is important in that all were found within a small geographic region, dating from an extended period of time, which parallels the lifespan of the ancient city, thus providing insights into the development of the city's urban aesthetic. The study is facilitated by an analysis of stylistic and technical aspects on the one hand, and the architectural contexts of the mosaics on the other. The compositions of the mosaic floors reflect prevalent fashions, belonging for the most part to the allover carpet style, incorporating figurative, floral and geometric patterns. The origin of allover carpet design may be found in the Roman mosaics of North Africa, in conjunction with local eastern traditions, especially from Antioch. The majority of mosaics from Tiberias and Hammat Tiberias are decorated by an infinitely repetitive floral or geometric pattern, covering the entire floor surface. Sometimes this consists of a single pattern, but the carpet also may be enhanced by secondary floral or figurative motifs, as in a border surrounding the central, major theme. This tradition is characteristic of the Byzantine period, and carries over into the Early Islamic period as well. Additional reoccurring compositions found in the mosaics are grid patterns created by schematic flower buds or inhabited scrolls, which are in essence a geometricized floral motif. In a number of cases, figures are strewn over a plain white background, disregarding naturalistic landscapes, their depictions resulting in a flat, two-dimensional effect. Narrative scenes and heraldic compositions usually appear within separate frames, creating pseudo-emblemata, as for example, in the nave of the Phase IIa Synagogue at Hammat Tiberias. The iconography appearing in the mosaics of Tiberias is familiar from other sites in the region; these include themes such as: Nilotic scenes; Christian symbols (especially crosses); Jewish symbols (menorot, shofarot, bundles of the four species, architectural façades/book shrines, and incense shovels); Helios accompanied by the zodiac and the seasons of the year, and wreathes bearing inscriptions. The inhabited scrolls contain hunt and chase scenes as well as solitary animals and inanimate objects, which are unlikely to bear religious symbolism, since the majority have been found in buildings of a secular nature. The first known appearance of the combined motifs of Helios, the zodiac, and the seasons, is in the Phase IIa Synagogue at Hammat Tiberias. Far reaching assumptions cannot be made regarding later depictions of this iconography, but it is nonetheless of utmost importance that the earliest example is in the synagogue of Hammat Tiberias, which was patronized by associates of the Jewish Patriarchate, residing in Tiberias at that time. Differences are evident in the stylization of motifs depicted in the mosaic floors. Stylistic variations may occur among several floors within a single building, or may also appear within a single floor. These discrepancies may result from chronological differences in the construction of rooms within a building, consequently reflecting changing stylistic trends. Another possibility is that different stylistic approaches may be the product of more than one artist employed in the laying of a single, or multiple floors. The technical aspects of the mosaic art are made clear by a survey of the raw materials (local stone, imported marble and glass) used by the artisans. Likewise, the quality of the workmanship may often be defined by the density of mosaic stones per square decimeter; the higher the density, the higher the resolution of the image depicted. It may be seen that figures and complicated floral or geometric motifs often contain a higher count of stones than the simpler motifs or plain white backgrounds. In the current state of research, it is not possible to distinguish any particular workshop functioning in Tiberias during any given period. Stylistic differences in a single floor may be explained by the simultaneous work of two mosaicists, likely a master and his apprentice. The final part of the work presents the mosaics within their architectural contexts. This aspect of the research is extremely important, since it may teach us about the hierarchy of the rooms within a building, thus better an understanding of the functions of the building as a whole. For instance, in a building containing both simple geometric carpets alongside intricate figurative motifs, it may be assumed that the rooms containing the figurative motifs are of greater importance than those paved by the simple carpets. Furthermore, the interpretation of the architectural spaces may be enhanced by an understanding of the mosaic floors. Conversely, the mosaic compositions may be more clearly understood by accurate identification of the spaces. The compilation of all available material and the examination of the mosaics (both individually and as a group), in comparison with similar mosaics from the Galilee, as well as from the greater Mediterranean region, have for the first time, brought the Tiberian mosaics to light, emphasizing their importance and creating a base of knowledge for future research of mosaics, locally and throughout the ancient world. ""