Ancient Mosaics Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Nel 1950 venne scavata una villa romana in loc. Su Loi a Capoterra (Cagliari). L’intervento d’emergenza è documentato
solo da uno schizzo e da 59 fotografie, ma grazie a queste ultime è stato possibile ricostruire la pianta
dell’edificio e avanzarne il posizionamento geografico.
In 1950 it was excavated a Roman villa in loc. Su Loi in Capoterra (Cagliari). The emergency intervention is documented
only by a sketch and from 59 photographs, but thanks to them it was possible to reconstruct the plan of the
building and avanzarne the geographic positioning.

- by
- •
- Photography, Sardinia (Archaeology), Ancient Mosaics, Archaeological Excavation
- by Mabi Angar
- •
- Byzantine Studies, Ancient Mosaics, Material Culture, Constantinople

New discoveries in the gallery of the Baths of Trajan on the Oppian hill

- by Rita Volpe
- •
- Archaeology, Rome, City of, Topography of Ancient Rome (Archaeology), Imperial Rome

Hadrianopolis is a site located on the principal western route from the Central Anatolian plain through the mountains to Bartın and the Black Sea, 3 km west of the modern town of Eskipazar, near Karabük, in what was in Roman times southwestern Paphlagonia (modern northwestern central Turkey). This site was a small but important city, controlling this major route and dominating a rich agricultural and especially vinicultural enclave on the borders between Paphlagonia, Bithynia and Galatia. Between 2005 and 2008, four survey, excavation and restoration campaigns were conducted at this Roman and early Byzantine site by Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir. As a result of the 2005 surveys of the area, it was confi rmed that Hadrianopolis was indeed coincident with Viranşehir, which is located c. 3 km west of modern Eskipazar and was active between the 1st cent. BC. and the 8th cent. AD. The fi eld surveys in 2005 identifi ed the remains of at least 24 buildings at the site. Among them are two bath buildings, two basilicas, a domus, an apsidal building, a fortifi ed structure of the Byzantine period, a possible theatre, a vaulted building, a domed building and some domestic buildings, most of which were paved with extensive mosaic floors. Following the publication of the inscriptions (Hadrianopolis I), glass (Hadrianopolis II), and pottery fi nds (Hadrianopolis III), the present volume IV of this multi-volume report is devoted to the early Byzantine mosaics and frescoes from this site, which have been dated mainly to the 6th and 7th cent. AD. The main find spots for mosaics and frescoes are Baths A, Baths B, Basilica A, Basilica B, the Apsidal Building and the Domus. One of the most remarkable discoveries was undoubtedly the floor mosaic of the nave of Basilica B, which displays personifi cations of the Four Rivers of Paradise: Euphrates, Tigris, Phison and Geon.

Ya zı lar kay nak gös te ril mek şar tıy la kul la nı la bi lir.

- by Ersin Çelikbaş and +1
- •
- Archaeology, Church History, Ancient Mosaics, Graeco-Roman Mosaics and Wall Paintings

Colloquio in ricordo di p. Michele Piccirillo
Roma, Pontificia Università Antonianum, 17 novembre 2018

- by francesco benedettucci and +4
- •
- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies
- by Elena C . Partida
- •
- Ancient Religion, Ancient Sports/Athletics, Ancient Mosaics, Urban Elites
- by Ana Lóio
- •
- Ancient Mosaics, Lusitania (Archaeology), Muses, Roman Lusitania

Excavations undertaken at Uşaklı Höyük in Turkey during 2018 revealed a mosaic stone floor associated with a large building of Hittite date. This unique discovery raises new questions about the origin of mosaic flooring in Near Eastern... more

- by Anacleto D'Agostino
- •
- Near Eastern Archaeology, Anatolian Studies, Anatolian Archaeology, Hittite
- by Leonard Rutgers
- •
- Ancient History, Roman History, Pompeii (Archaeology), Ancient Mosaics

Eine Bestandsaufnahme (1990)

- by Alexandra Kankeleit
- •
- Ancient Mosaics, Roman Mosaics, Archeology

Glass mosaic decorations were used throughout the medieval Mediterranean as a powerful medium to convey religious and political agendas, yet we know next to nothing about the source of the materials and the transmission of the necessary technical know-how. Mosaics are generally considered a Byzantine art form, not least due to their prominence in Byzantine church architecture and because medieval Islamic textual sources assert that the glass tesserae of some of the most important early mosques were of Byzantine origin. This article provides solid analytical evidence that glass used in the tenth-century mosaics of the Great Umayyad Mosque of Córdoba (Spain) came from Byzantium. Most of the tesserae have high boron contents, for which the only compositional match are Byzantine glasses made with raw materials from Asia Minor. In addition, some of the glass has a chemical fingerprint that suggests that it was prepared by mixing local raw materials with imported high boron glass, indicative of local mosaic glassmaking. Our study thus illustrates the value of analytical studies in reassessing long-held assumptions about the making of mosaics as well as the movement of materials and people across cultural barriers. The presence of Byzantine materials and craftsmen in Córdoba demonstrates that Muslims and Christians were interacting the length of the Mediterranean, corroborating the close diplomatic ties between the Caliphate of Córdoba and the Byzantine Empire during the tenth century. Our findings further underscore the importance of glass in trade and diplomatic exchange, reflecting its cultural and economic value in the medieval world.

- by Nadine Schibille
- •
- Al-Andalus, Ancient Mosaics, Ancient Glass, Cordoba

RESUMEN El artículo describe y realiza un primer estudio de las estructuras y los materiales de una villa romana recientemente excavada en Antequera. Entre ellos destacan el repertorio musivo y escultórico, de los que emerge la importancia del yacimiento.
SUMMARY The present article describes and attempts a first approach to the structures and materials from a recently discovered Roman Villa in Antequera. The Villa is particularly remarkable for its mosaics and sculptures, from which the importance of the site arises.

Inlaid with lapis lazuli, turquoise and malachite, the Pietra Dura work on the Taj Mahal is a testament to the beauty of this art form as well as its power to evoke emotion. Known locally as “Parchin Kari”, many who have come to personally see the Taj Mahal have also come to appreciate the detailed craftsmanship that has been poured into the inlaying of the majestic white marble. People have called the precise work on the marble as nothing short of an artistic phenomenon, knowing that it is able to add depth and richness to the entire monument and that it is able to seamlessly work together with all its architectural features.

- by Chantal Menhem
- •
- Ancient Mosaics, Graeco-Roman Mosaics and Wall Paintings, India, Pietra dura

treatments in the visual and material culture of the ancient and early medieval periods. At a moment when our world is hyper-focused on how people, things, and ideas move between geographies, surfaces, and spaces, we turn to the ancient world to understand instances of visual, technical, and material exchange as manifest in ancient surface decoration. Purposefully diverse in terms of chronology, geography, and cultural purview, the contributions in this Special Issue should address the many mechanisms that propelled the transfer and transmission of artistic concepts, themes, motifs, and decorative schema in ancient painting, mosaic, stucco, textile, and other surface media.

- by Antony Lee
- •
- Ancient History, Roman Villae, Antiquarianism, Ancient Mosaics
- by Franz Glaser
- •
- Archaeology, Heritage Conservation, Ancient Mosaics

Antik Dönem Hellen sanatında deniz ve nehir tanrıları önemli bir yer tutar.
Bu tanrı ve tanrıçalar ile ilgili sahneler, Roma Dönemi mozaiklerinde sevilerek konu edinilmiştir. Antiokheia ad Orontes ve Zeugma kentleri zemin mozaiklerinde Okeanos ve Tethys ile ilgili sahnelere rastlamaktayız. Hem bir deniz tanrısı olarak kabul edilen hem de yeryüzünü dört bir yandan saran bir nehir olduğuna inanılan Okeanos bir titandır. Onun eşi Tethys ise denizin verimliliğini simgeler ve bu figürün geç tarihli tasvirlerine Thalassa adı da verilir. Hellen mitolojisine göre Okeanos ve Tethys’in birleşmesinden binlerce nehir doğmuştur. Roma Dönemi ile birlikte deniz ve nehir tanrıları ikonografisi sanatta belirginleşir ve standart bir betimleme tarzına kavuşur. Bu tipik betimleme anlayışı zemin mozaiklerinde rahatlıkla takip edilebilmektedir.

- by Sami Patacı
- •
- Mythology, Early Christian Art, Christian Iconography, Ancient Mosaics

e paper deals with mosaic pavements from Philippopolis, the capital of the Late antique province of race, which are supposed to be made after Syrian in uence or by masters from that region. ree main types of examples are studied: 1). variations of standard geometric schemes which are repeated; 2). variations of motifs which are close parallels and 3). repetition of similar gural images. e examples come either from Early Christian buildings or richly decorated private dwellings. Despite the similarities between the mosaics of Philippopolis and those in Syria, some discrepancies also appear. It seems that the 'Syrian' in uence was transmitted indirectly via the metropolitan masters, i. e. those from Constantinople, by following the decoration of a building in the provincial capital or home city or by immigrants and realized by the local masters. e metropolitan in uence in race, however, was enormous and spread in two ways: by simply copying the decoration of what was in the metropolis by the local patrons and the elite in race and second one -through special imperial policy. And this is clearly visible in the second half of 4 th c. at the earliest, but mostly after the decision of eodosius I to settle in Constantinople when all of a sudden, race from a remote province became part of the hinterland of the metropolis.

- by Sven Straumann
- •
- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Classics, Architecture

This article surveys the history of Tell es-Samak, on the shores of Haifa, from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. It focuses on archaeological and epigraphical evidence and on the historical sources that are key in depicting the settlement during these periods, and on proposing its identification as Porphyreon (South).
J. Elgavish conducted the main excavations at the site for 17 seasons, (1963–1979) exposing the strata from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. The Byzantine period complexes were also excavated by other scholars, before Elgavish’s excavations and particularly after them. The recent excavations at the tell by S. Bar (2010–2012), and in
the area of the town to the south by Eisenberg were carried out in the framework of the University of Haifa expedition.
The renewed excavations unearthed mainly complexes from the Late Roman to the Byzantine periods and an attempt was made to integrate Elgavish’s conclusions and excavation results in an updated picture of the settlement at Tell es-Samak during these periods.
Analysis of the historiographic evidence, historical maps, integration of the archaeological data, the well-developed purple dye industry at the site, and finally, the magnitude of its Christian settlement during the Byzantine period, all reinforce the hypothesis that what we have here is
the Christian town of Porphyreon (South) and not Jewish Shikmona. The town reached its zenith during the Byzantine period, when it covered an area of approximately 80 dunams. Porphyreon was abandoned at the end of the 6th–early 7th centuries CE, apparently before the Persian conquest.

- by Eduardo Prados Pérez and +1
- •
- Archaeology, Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, Archaeology of Roman Hispania, Hispania (Archaeology)

Mozaik, çizgisel üslubun temelidir ve kesin konturlarla sınırlan/dırıl/mış betiler yapma anlayışıdır. : Dekoratif Üslup Derinlikli Yüzeyler Halinde Gölgesel Kitlesel Tasvir: Betimlemeci Üslup Çizgisel üslup, resim sanatında 16. yüzyıla (Barok) kadar süren bir resim yapma geleneğini temsil etmektedir. Ancak mozaiklerin tonlama ve ışık-gölge düzeni açısından Gölgesel Üsluba (Malerisch) yaklaşma çabaları da vardır. ISSOS SAVAŞI Pompeii, M.Ö. 2-1.yy., Napoli Arkeoloji Müzesi

- by hakan daloğlu
- •
- Ancient Mosaics, Roman Mosaics

The paper presents the life story of the Bees, a mosaic from the Roman town of Emona (modern Ljubljana), which was reworked in the 1930s in such a way as to give it new function and meaning in its new context. It is the opinion of the author that other examples of the reworking of Roman Emona in the 1930s suggest that this type of recycling and citation of the past, fused with a collage of modern elements, are part a wider phenomenon of referring to the highly prestigious, well respected ancient past of Emona in Ljubljana in this period.

De Vita, A., Simeti, S. & Volta, S. (2013) The conservation of the Neptune and Amphitrite wall mosaic at Herculaneum: an interdisciplinary partnership. In G. Biscontin & G. Driussi (eds) Conservazione e valorizzazione dei siti archeologici: approcci scientifici e problemi di metodo. Atti del Convegno di Studi Bressanone 9-12 luglio 2013. Scienza e Beni Culturali 29: 935-941.

- by Véronique Vassal
- •
- Ancient Mosaics, Lions in art, Vergina, Pella

La pieza que vamos a ver, el maravilloso mosaico de Alejandro, lo encontramos situado en la Casa del Fauno, casa que debe su nombre a la estatua de un fauno que encontramos en su impluvium-así se llama una especie de estanque rectangular destinado a recoger el agua de la lluvia situado en el patio (atrium) central de las casas romanas (domus) del tipo que encontramos en Pompeya. Esta imponente mansión, la más grande de Pompeya (Beard 2009: 45), se terminó de construir a finales del siglo II aC (Beard 2009: 47). En esta época Pompeya ya era aliada de Roma, lo fue desde inicios del siglo III aC (Beard 2009: 56), al tiempo que Roma consolidaba su poder en el Mediterráneo, formando un imperio que se extendía desde la península Ibérica, ocupaba el Adriático y Grecia hasta llegar a Asia Menor. Asimismo la admiración por Grecia crecía dentro de la sociedad romana, convirtiéndose en referente en su arte, las construcciones, etc. Pompeya, una ciudad de provincia que no destacaba especialmente en su época (Beard 2009: 66), tenía un destino catastrófico que a la vez la inmortalizó. El año 79 dC. a raíz de la erupción volcánica del Vesubio quedará inmortalizada, como si de una instantánea fotográfica se tratara, al ser sepultada por toneladas de sedimentos volcánicos. La vida quedó parada en ese momento para revivir en forma de hallazgo arqueológico.

- by Joan Clusella
- •
- Ancient Mosaics, Pompeii, Alejandro Magno
- by Füsun Tülek
- •
- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Ancient Mosaics
- by Saimir Shpuza and +1
- •
- Ancient History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Archaeozoology
- by Igor Dorfmann-Lazarev
- •
- Theology, Armenian Studies, Historical Theology, Polymorphism

Opus Techniques Applied in Roman Walls and Floors

The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent.
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds
perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard.
Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.

For conservation and restoration actions to be effective and respectful of cultural instances, it is crucial to acquire the knowledge framework of the examined monument by following a method which allows systematically collecting all the information needed to define its state of conservation. Managing complex data about a cultural asset requires a methodological guide that enables to coordinate information from multidisciplinary skills systematizing it and highlighting relations and connections between the various levels of knowledge. Based on such considerations, a study on the mosaics of the dome of the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte was carried out. The dome is located down the right nave of today's Basilica di Santa Restituta and is attached to the Cathedral. Its mosaics are considered as one of the most important expressions of paleo-Christian art in Italy, as a rare example of wall mosaic decoration still existing in the south of the country. At the ridge of the octagonal-based dome, on a starry sky background, stands out the " Chrismon " , i.e. the monogrammatic cross symbolizing the glorious Christ with the letters alpha and omega hanging from his arms. Based on a previous methodological study, in this paper we present new results, which, placing particular attention to the dome of the baptistery, focus specifically on a micro sample, called "cartellina d'oro", belonging to the mosaic of vault and more specifically to the monogrammatic cross, placed in the center of the dome. The availability of innovative analytical measures, allowed to carry out further laboratory investigations, in order to deepen the existing knowledge about the Byzantine mosaic and thus be a useful tool to go back to the artistic techniques used in paleo-Christian era.

- by Valentina Roviello and +1
- •
- Cultural Heritage, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Ancient Mosaics

This paper deals with the House of Leukaktios, which has been discovered during Polish excavations at Ptolemais, Libya, in 2001 2007. The house has almost completely preserved mosaic pavements and the plan of Graeco-Roman type with an open central court (atrium), acting as the focal point around which the rooms were arranged. The name of one of the last owners, Leukaktios, is written twice on the mosaics in the atrium and in the triclinium. The author proposes the identification of several rooms. Room 1, a triclinium, has a mosaic with the characteristic U-shaped geometric frame around a central figural panel that depicts a personification of Victory or Nike. Room 14 is identified as an andron/triclinium with a similar U-shaped version lay out of the mosaic pavement. Room 9, which is situated in front of the andron/triclinium, could be interpreted as a gyneceum. The central panel which represents Dionysos and sleeping Ariadna has a parallel from the House of Dionysos in Cyrene, where the mosaic bears a rare Greek inscription dedicated to a woman.
Room 4 is identified as a reception hall. The mosaics are homogeneous in style and belong to the last phase of the building between AD 215 and 225.

More than 20 years after presenting his first interpretation of the mosaic from the House of Aion in a paper entitled “Uwagi na temat mozaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr)” (Meander 9/10, 1987, p. 421-438, in Polish, and translated to English: « The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory [in Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from the “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus]»), where he proposed reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis, the author now enhances his initial interpretation with numerous reflections concerning the historical context of this work of art, created in the years 320-360.
If, according to the author, the mosaic is a “Hymn” in honour of the pagan gods, Man (his soul) and his place in the (pagan) universe, then at the same time it polemicises with the Christian faith and its God, Jesus Christ.
The author puts forward numerous new solutions relating to the mosaic’s iconography and iconology. Analysis of the mosaic also leads him to propose a solution to the as-yet unanswered question regarding the absence of images of the crucified Christ in Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries, up until 420/430, when the first images of Christ on the cross appear.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. Research to-date (recap)
2. Description of mosaic (recap)
2.1. Composition of five mythological scenes
2.2. Brief iconographic description of mythological panels
2.3. Outline of individual iconographic elements and their respective roles
2.4. The pagan gods’ air of majesty and dignity as an expression of piety
3. A few words about the pagan reaction
4. An apology of pious human life according to pagan principles and a polemic on the Christian model of Man and his theological idol, Jesus Christ
4.1. Divine intervention in the act of human conception (allusion to/polemic on the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary)
4.2. The Epiphany of Dionysus (an allusion to the Epiphany of Christ – Theou Pais)
4.3. The procession and dissemination of Dionysian order (allusion to/polemic on Christ’s entry into Jerusalem)
4.4. The error of Marsyas (polemic on/allusion to the error of Jesus the Messiah): arrest, sentencing for arrogance and lack of piety (asebeia) and condemnation to a martyr’s death
4.5. The anabasis (or anagoge psyches) of a ‘beautiful soul’ (allusion to/polemic on the Ascension of Christ)
5. A few words on the mosaic programme prior to final conclusions
Final conclusions