2023 Sayı 16

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11452/41007

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Ancient repairs on the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-08-24) Beşikci, Demet
Every so often throughout antiquity, cities, structures and objects were damaged to varying degrees as a result of wars, earthquakes, floods and fires, and became unusable. However, similar to the present day, in some cases it was possible to maintain their function by carrying out repairs. Traces of such repairs are visible on mosaic flooring, one of the structural elements most affected by these destructions. Since mosaics are composed of lots of small pieces, they can quickly disintegrate in any destructive situation and fall apart easily. Through the ages, the loss of components occurred as a result of not only great destruction and devastation, but also of wear due to overuse. In such cases, in order to reduce the growth of the damaged area, various repair techniques were used, and the use of the structures/spaces continued. The craftsmen doing these repairs sometimes tried to restore the floor and its decoration elements to its original appearance, and other times utilised different materials in order to re-open the space as quickly as possible. The location and dimension of the damage as well as the repair methods on the mosaic provide us with information on the techniques of the craftsmen and the practices of the period. Found at the Casa del Fauno (VI 12, 2) in Pompeii on October 24, 1831 and dated to the end of the 2nd century BC (120 BC) (Pappalardo - Ciardiello 2010: 153) the Alexander Mosaic is one of the most well-known mosaics today, as well as being famous enough in the period it was made to be mentioned in historical and literary sources. The original is preserved in the Naples National Archaeological Museum (MANN, inventory number 10020). It depicts the battle of Issus (333 BC) or Gaugamela (331 BC) between Alexander the Great and Darius III (Pappalardo - Ciardiello 2010: 154; Giulierini et al. 2020: 105). Despite having undergone repairs following the extensive damage it sustained in the earthquake of 62 AD, the mosaic never regained its former appearance. It is a rare example, as it was in some parts repaired with tesserae and some other parts repaired using mortar. Studies of the Alexander Mosaic suggest that these two different mending techniques belong to separate attempts from different periods. This article, as a result of detailed examinations, discusses the possibility that repairs made with both tesserae and mortar may have been applied simultaneously after the same destruction.
Cosmologic representations on the late antique mosaics from Bulgaria
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-26) Popova, Vania
The article traces the cosmologic structure and its separate components, reflected on the Late Antique mosaic pavements from the ancient provinces of present-day Bulgaria. Distinguished are three basic historical periods of development. The observations reveal that these lands were receiving ready cosmogonic structure’s schemes after the act of cosmogony from the big artistic centers of Italy, Greece, Asia Minor and North Africa. For several reasons, the cosmologic structure and the components of the Late Antique mosaic pavements from Bulgaria are not full, but limited and adapted, with many missing figural representations in the mosaic pavements and the tomb wall paintings, differently to the Western and the Eastern Mediterranean. This is considered a kind of proto-iconoclasm, due to the influence of heresies and the concrete historical, religious and artistic development. The joyful picture of the Christian Universe changes and disintegrates after the Justinianic period, and the previous Order and Harmony, including the place of each sphere and cosmologic element, is already not fixed, but in free mixture with other figural and symbolic images. The old cosmologic picture comes to its logical end and is replaced by a new one after the beginning of 7th century.
Cultural interactions of medieval societies hidden in the symmetry of ornaments
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-11) Erbudak, Mehmet
We trace the culture on the mosaics of seven medieval civilizations by taking the symmetry of the ornaments found on the mosaics as characteristic evidence for the cultural group in which the artwork is created. We classify the ornaments into 17 wallpaper groups according to their symmetry. Applying the cosine law to the frequency of each symmetry group we calculate the pairwise correlation of the cultural interactions. Finally, a hierarchical cluster analysis is performed on the correlations to find cultural groups that are closely related to each other. The results show the formation of two clusters: The Islamic cluster includes the Arabs and the Seljuk dynasties. The Hellenistic group inspired other Anatolian civilizations and even influenced the Umayyads in Andalusia. These results are consistent with the calculations based on multidimensional scaling. Our work demonstrates the possibility of applying symmetry analysis and statistical methods to the visual arts to reveal valuable details such as the hidden influences in art practice.
Gold and blue transition - a contemporary realization in a historical site
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-09-05) Kürtösi, Brigitta Maria
The paper aims to demonstrate the creative process of the realization of a fountain in the courtyard of the Archbishop’s Castle in Kalocsa, Hungary. Lead architect of the diocese, Márta Vörös designed a complex artwork symbolizing the Trinity. The rounded shape concrete body of the fountain is seven metres in diameter and positioned in the middle of the inner garden space. In the centre of the composition, an orb and a dove figure are encompassed by a thin layer of water in a calyx-form. The surface of the fountain will be covered with Murano glass mosaic executed by the author. The dark colours from deep tones through the transition of blueish and greenish tints turn to golden shades reflecting to the Earth and Sky. The mosaic is made by direct technique in studio following a division system composed by 36 slices with 11 sections of each. The prepared sections are edited to fit to the curved design of the fountain, and the setting style desires to delicately amplify the symbolic content. From above the work will look like the eye of God as a universal protective symbol. This contemporary artwork exemplifies the fusion of traditional visual and theoretical values
Half-human half-vegetal hybrids in eastern mosaics
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-10) Derwael, Stephanie
The aim of this paper is to investigate the evolution of the use of half-human half-vegetal figures, the socalled Rankenfrau and Rankengott, in the pavements of the Eastern Mediterranean, from their appearance in the Classical period to their appropriation in the Roman and Christian times. The contextualised analysis of this corpus, combined with a comparison to other media such as architectural sculpture, provide a good opportunity to better understand to what extent the motif varied at different times and how the worldview of the commissioners of the decors can, or not, affect their meaning. In the Classical and Hellenistic contexts, vegetalisation of the human body seems to plastically translate the prerogatives of different divinities of wild nature, growth, and life. Through the mastery of their primitive savagery, these deities allow the coexistence of two different natures and bring divine prosperity into everyday life. In Roman times these figures inherited from the Greek world went through an unprecedented formal and syntactic diversification. A new variant is even created: the foliate head, which concentrates the force of a vital principle and appears as the metonymic representation of its primordial and spontaneous fecundity. In Eastern pavements, bearded and beardless foliate heads are associated with young foliate boys in the peopled scroll borders of the public rooms of rich houses. They evoked the mastery of a vital impulse that is made beneficial for wealthy owners. During the 6th century AD, whilst the foliate heads survive in the pavements of Christian monuments, the Rankenfrau and the Rankengott seem to disappear from the Eastern repertoire.
Late antique domus of via dogana in faenza: The vestibulum mosaic. completion of the restoration work, new methods for conservation and enhancement
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-09-04) Franzoni, Agnese; Sagripanti, Elena; Paola , Perpignani; Michele, Macchiarola; Simone , Zambruno
This paper describes the multidisciplinary study and the completion of the restoration work conducted on an important floor mosaic from the fifth century AD. The floor, a big polychrome and figured mosaic, was discovered in the 1970s in the city center of Faenza and belonged to the vestibulum of a late antique domus. An effective collaboration between the Parco Archeologico di Classe - RavennAntica Foundation and the University of Bologna Master Degree in Conservation and Restoration has allowed to experiment, test, and improve some methodologies concerning mosaic restoration and enhancement. Specifically, some experimental studies regarding the use of lime mortars were carried out, in order to reintegrate the small gaps in the mosaic. Furthermore, in addition to a three-dimensional relief of the whole floor, some virtual integration proposals were created. At the same time, some information panels were proposed to integrate the museum project. The restoration was thus a moment of study and active experimentation, that did not neglect the enhancement of such a significant artistic testimony.
Looking beyond the obvious: Rereading the message of themosaics
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-28) Kremer , Maria de Jesus Duran
When we look at the mosaic pavements that have come down to us over the centuries, it is easy to see that many of the patterns chosen were part of a decorative grammar that reflected a world view adapted to the geographical area, the social class and the time when the mosaic was built. The dawn of Christianity in the Roman Empire was no exception: traditional patterns were “adopted” by the new religion, in a discourse adapted to the moment in time and to the local social and political evolution. An adoption which at a certain moment allowed a veiled identification as a follower of the new religion. In the present intervention, the author proposes to present an analysis of the evolution of some of these patterns in the light of the Christianisation in the westernmost part of Lusitania
The marine mosaics in Late Antique Thrace
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-31) Topalilov, Ivo
It is assumed that marine mosaics were among the most popular mosaic pavements across the Roman Empire, particularly in thermal baths and triclinia. It has therefore been thought unsurprising that marine mosaics widely appear in Early Christian art. Late antique Thrace does not appear to be an exception to this trend, although few examples of such mosaics have been discovered so far. This article addresses all three examples from a villa suburbana in Serdica region as well as other examples from houses in Philippopolis and Augusta Traiana. All dated to the 4th century, these mosaic pavements hold different iconography that suggest that in the marine theme was not among the most popular themes that spread in Late Antique mosaics in the cities of inner Thrace. Instead, their use is attributable to specific historical circumstances such as Julian’s advance into Thrace in 361-362 or the explicit desire and needs of a house owner to present himself as a wealthy merchant to guests. The Philippopolitan mosaic with ‘classical’ iconography may have had a Christian meaning as well. Although this study lacks the necessary support of additional examples, perhaps awaiting discovery at Thrace’s coastal cities, it is a preliminary step toward more accurately gauging the distribution of marine mosaics in Thrace and their role in the development of mosaic art in the region in Late Antiquity.
The mosaics of the domus ı of the plaza de armas of the royal alcazar in roman colonia augusta firma - astigi (écija, seville, spain) - II
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-14) Vega, Sergio Garcia Dils De La; Agulla , Salvador Ordonez
The Domus I of the Plaza de Armas of the Royal Alcazar of Ecija (Seville, Spain) has been object of archaeological excavations and restoration interventions since 2001, which have revealed that this luxurious urban residence was completely reformed in the Severan period, when several rooms and the central courtyard were decorated with mosaic pavements of different thematic. In 2015 was discovered the so-called mosaic of the Loves of Zeus, which decorate the triclinium of the domus, with several scenes from this mythological cycle, along with Bacchic themes and characters, and the representation of the seasons. In this paper is offered an update on the progress of research relative to this outstanding mosaic.
The “Parco Della Pace” in ravenna: The restoration of the mosaic fountain “le chaos et la source de vie” by claude rahir modern approaches to the conservation and restoration of contemporary works of art exposed outdoors
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-04) Coccia , Cristina; Carra, Ilarina Marta; Gandini, Maria Benedetta; Perpignani, Paola; Zambruno, Simone
The “Parco della Pace” was born in Ravenna in 1988, under the initiative of the Municipality of Ravenna and with the support of International Association of Contemporary Mosaicists (AIMC) and UNESCO. Considered a real open-air museum, it preserves nine monumental works of contemporary mosaic made by internationally renowned artists. A plan for the redevelopment and enhancement of the entire park has recently been approved: the agreement between the Municipality of Ravenna, the University of Bologna, the Flaminia Foundation, and the RavennAntica Foundation made possible the restoration of the fountain mosaic “Le chaos et la source de vie” by Claude Rahir, realized in 1984. The first part of the intervention focused on a careful study of the archival documentation that provides an understanding of the artist’s spirit and volition. The restoration techniques, put in place to re-establish the artwork compromised by years of neglect and vandalization, have allowed us to compare products and methodologies now standardized with others of recent experimentation. Special attention had to be given to the problem of the integration of gaps, relating the theory of restoration applied to protected cultural heritage with the world of contemporary art. In support of the intervention a threedimensional survey of the artwork has been created using the “Structure from motion” technique. The project ended with the enhancement and redevelopment of the entire area through the setup of a dedicated website and explanatory panels.
Some aspects of religiosity in ostia Antica through mosaics
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-15) Licordari, Antonio; Licordari, Francesca; Pellegrino, Angelo
While mythology is one of the most widespread themes in the mosaics of Ostia Antica (both floor and non-floor), some compositions have a marked importance from a religious and cultic point of view. We intend to examine the mosaic representations of aspects of the Ostian cults, among which that of Mithras stands out in a particular way for its diffusion and for the amplitude of its testimonies. The mosaic undoubtedly had the purpose of immediate visual communication of its contents, also because the religion of Mithras was accepted above all by low-level believers for whom communication through images was more suitable. However, in Ostia, among the followers of the cult, there is evidence of high-ranking personages, perhaps even belonging to the imperial family. Next to that of Mithras we want to highlight the cult of Sabazio, of other oriental divinities in the past traces have been found, sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly, in the House of the Dioscures, in the House of the Fishes, in the Neptune’s baths and in the opus sectile building of the Marine Gate (4th century AD)
Syedra büyük hamam kompleksindeki herakles’in on iki işinin betimlendiği mozaik üzerine ilk değerlendirme
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-25) Ergürer, Hatice
Dağlık Kilikya Bölgesi’nin en görkemli kentleri arasında yer alan Syedra Antik Kenti, Alanya İlçesi, Seki Köyü sınırları içerisindedir. İsmini Sedre Çayı’ndan aldığı düşünülen kent, oldukça yüksek bir tepe üzerine konumlandırılmıştır. Kentte 2019 yılında başlatılan ilk sistemli kazılar, sütunlu caddenin hemen güneyinde bulunan Büyük Hamam kompleksinin frigidaryum bölümünde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu alanda yürütülen çalışmalar sırasında opus tessellatum tekniğinde yapılmış, 7.9 m genişliğe ve 21.91 m uzunluğa sahip, eşine nadir rastlanabilecek bir taban mozaiği ile karşılaşılmıştır. Siyah zemin üzerine çok renkli tesseraların kullanılmasıyla oluşturulmuş geometrik desenli bir bordürle çevrelenen taban mozaiğinde, Herakles’in on iki işinin betimlendiği görülmüştür. Kilikya ve diğer çevre bölgelerde bir benzerine henüz rastlanmayan söz konusu mozaiğe yönelik bu çalışma, ilk değerlendirmeleri içermektedir. Mozaiğin üslup özelliklerini belirleyen geometrik ve figüratif bezemeler ışığında yakın bölgedeki benzer örneklerle karşılaştırılarak yapım tarihinin tespiti ve çevre kentlerdeki diğer atölyelerle etkileşimin var olup olmadığının belirlenmesi amaçlamaktadır. Bu doğrulta yapılan incelemeler Syedra’daki Herakles mozaiğinin üslup özellikleri açısından özellikle Zeugma ve Antioch/Antakya mozaikleri ile benzerlik taşıdığını ve İS 3. yüzyıl başlarına tarihlendirilmesinin yerinde olabileceğini düşündürtmektedir.
Symbols of faith in the mosaic floors of the newly discovered ecclesiastical complex at ashdod maritima, Israel
(2023-08-03) Habas, Lihi
An ecclesiastical complex has recently been discovered in Ashdod Maritima – ancient Azotus. The site was excavated in 2019 and 2021. The complex includes a basilica, several rooms, and a chapel on the north side, all decorated with mosaic pavements. A mixed trend comes to light in the mosaics: on the one hand, there is a continuation of the geometric and vegetal compositions and motifs that originated in the Roman world and continued into the Byzantine period. On the other hand, the complex is unique in the many symbols of faith that appear, scattered throughout its parts. All types of crosses are depicted; a medallion with a Greek cross accompanied by the Greek letters iotachi, and alpha and omega; a medallion with a Latin cross standing on Golgotha Hill with the Greek letters iota-chi and alpha and omega; a large Latin cross standing on Golgotha Hill with two large Greek crosses between its arms; and a medallion with a quote from Psalms. The complex is exceptional in the large number of crosses, the names of the bishops, priest, deacon, and deaconesses who were involved in the construction and decoration or were buried in the complex, and the large number of dated inscriptions
Technology and composition of the mortar and origin of the stone and the smalta tesserae of the early christian mosaics from parthicopolis. the beginning of database on the ancient mosaics from middle strymon
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2023-08-16) Petrova, Svetla
The article presents the results of a study on the mortar and tesserae made of marble, sandstone, brick, and smalta in the mosaic pavement of the exonarthex of Basilica No. 2 in Parthicopolis. This basilica served as an important episcopal center in the province of Macedonia I. The methods employed include macro- and microanalysis, as well as SEM-EDS and XRD analysis of the mineral phases. It has been established that the mosaic was laid on a mortar layer without a statumen and rudus. The study of the mortar revealed the presence of a fine fraction among the tesserae, as well as lumps of lime in the mortar composition, which were reinforced with a fine brick powder. The brick and stone tesserae, including marble and sandstone, originated locally, while the smalta used for the glass tesserae was imported, possibly undergoing secondary processing on-site. The analysis of the smalta composition identified several technological processes, including secondary heating, a significant presence of small air bubbles, and unwanted crystalline impurities. These phenomena likely occurred during the melting, molding, annealing, or secondary processing of sodium-lime-silicate glass. This suggests the possibility of imported manufactured production being remade in situ, demonstrating the utilization of local materials and techniques. The study revealed that the mosaicists possessed a profound understanding of the craft, including a deep knowledge of the underlying processes and a diverse range of technical skills. With this expertise, they were able to successfully achieve the desired result by utilizing local materials

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