2022 Sayı 15

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11452/30928

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Achilles on Skyros in the emblema from the house of Poseidon at Zeugma: Caracalla and the power of images
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-08-29) Caso, Laura
This iconographic and iconological analysis has shown the existence of a long tradition about this subject, that is Achilles on Skyros in the emblema from the House of Poseidon at Zeugma. This tradition dates back to the 1st century AD and it concerns the Roman mosaic and painting. The model of Achilles on Skyros travelled from the West to the East, especially from Italy (Rome and Pompeii) towards the eastern part of the Roman Empire. This model arrived in Zeugma on the Euphrates at the beginning of the third century AD, under Caracalla (211-217 CE). The rich owner (dominus) and client of the Poseidon Villa was to be a high officer of Caracalla belonging to Legio IV Scythica or Parthica. In fact Zeugma became the settlement of this Roman legion and the outpost against the Parthians, above all during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 CE) and under his successor Caracalla. The dominus of the Poseidon Villa made the imperial propaganda his own by choosing the subject of Achilles on Skyros, which was very favourite by Caracalla on the ideological level, as the subject of Alexander the Great (Cfr. Cassius Dio, Herodian, Scriptores Historiae Augustae). The myth of Achilles on Skyros is very ancient (Cfr. Cypria, Pindar, Sophocles, Euripides) and privileged by Roman (Domus Aurea) and Pompeian painting and mosaic dating back to the emperor Nero, ardent admirer both Achilles and Alexander the Great, as Caracalla.
Chrismons and crosses on the Late Antique Mosaic pavements from Bulgaria
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-10-01) Popava, Vania
The article examines the cases of placing of the Early Christian Christograms/Staurograms and crosses in diverse iconographies and different number on the Late Antique mosaic pavements from the ancient provinces of the present-day Bulgarian lands/ mostly in the Central and Eastern Balkans. The history and the criteria of the cross in Late Antiquity are traced in the Early Christian liturgy, decoration and art, the official and tacit regulations, laws and bans in that aspect, the exceptions and the reasons causing them.
The decorative repertoire of the mosaics from the Conuentus Bracaraugustanus and their relationships with other mosaics of Hispania
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-08-25) Abraços, Maria de Fátima; Wrench, Licínia
In this work we intend to extend the comparative study of the mosaics of Conuentus Bracaraugustanus published in the Corpus to the mosaics from Gallaecia and from other regions of Hispania, particularly from the region between the Ebro and Douro rivers, considering different mosaic workshops operating in these areas. We also register punctual relationships between some compositional schemes, themes and motifs that occur in the mosaics of the Conuentus Bracaraugustanus and some of the north African production. We will complement our study with information that resulted from the continuation of our research and that was provided to us after the publication of the Corpus, in 2019.
Design proposal for a protective shelter to be used in the archaeological excavation and exhibition phases of housing settlement and mosaics of Myrleia
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-06) Özer, Gözde Kırlı; Enserioğlu, Sebla Arın; Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi/İznik Meslek Yüksekokulu.; Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi/Mimarlık Fakültesi.; 0000-0003-4921-3958; 0000-0002-7341-4875
Information about the ancient city of Myrleia, which is of great importance for the history of Bithynia and Mudanya, is minimal since the ancient ruins are buried under olive groves and the written sources about its construction in the ancient period are scarce. However, along with the ruins unearthed in 2015 and 2016, information about the ancient period of the city began to emerge. Therefore, it is essential to preserve the unearthed remains and their information and transfer them to the future in-situ, within the architectural and cultural context. Within the scope of the study, a protective shelter design proposal is developed on the residential settlement discovered in Ömerbey District in 2016 and the mosaics discovered in the settlement. The designed shelter aims to protect the remains from various adverse effects, provide the team’s comfort carrying out the study (thermal, security, etc.), and fulfill the functions of providing ideal conditions for the visitors. In addition, the sustainability of the top shelter and its flexibility to expand to include new finds discovered around the excavation area also played a significant role in the shelter design.
Ellipses, cushions and bells. A family of -mostly- North African mosaic pavements
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-04) Parzysz, Bernard
The purpose of this article is to characterize a family of geometric mosaic decors which are especially well represented in North Africa (17 pavements on 24) and especially in Tunisia (14 pavements), extending from the second to the fourth century AD. Their common feature is to include three shapes not very frequently found in mosaic, namely the so-called “ellipse”, “cushion” and “bell”. We assume that these “ellipses” are in fact ovals, similar to those used for building the Roman amphitheaters. In the present case they are inscribed in a square and most often carried out following a same process, quite easy to implement (23 pavements). The general pattern of these pavements is set on a grid of bands, the ovals being inscribed in the larger squares of the grid. The other arcs of circles, delineating the cushions and bells, are also carried out in close relationship with this grid. A major element of −relative− variability is the ratio between the widths of the two sorts of bands, thus leaving more space or less for the bells and cushions, and consequently for their respective inner decors.
The late 4th - early 5th c. mosaic pavements in Philippopolis and Augusta Traiana in Thrace
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-28) Topalilov, Ivo
The present paper deals with the mosaic pavements that embellished the public buildings, semi-public and private houses between the 80s of 4th c. and the first two decades of 5th c. in the two most important cities in late antique province of Thrace - Philippopolis and Augusta Traiana that are unearthed so far. This was a period of great significance for the mosaic development in both cities which though developed in different way until that time, were now united with the use of the full geometrization. Although already entered in the private mosaic pavements in Thrace in the time of the Tetrarchy, the full geometric composition did not receive wide acceptance in the aulae of the private houses and the figural compositions with real emblema or pseudo-emblem are persistent. The inclusion of the Christianity into the new imperial ideology in the time of Theodosius I and Arcadius and the establishment of the symphonia between the State and Church reflected on the importance of the Christian bishop, but also impacted on the stylistic development of the mosaic art in both cities with the abrupt abandonment of any other compositions and motifs than the geometric in order to avoid any link with the paganism and its art. The examples studied reveal that the full, ‘orthodox’ geometric composition and motifs, with humble colouring, were distributed in the private houses of the Christian clergy, while these geometric mosaics with the inclusion of few specific symbols – in the Christian basilicas, related to the liturgical need. It is without any doubt that the mosaic pavements in the Christian basilicas inspired the mosaic pavement decoration of the aulae of the elites in both cities since the middle of 5th c. onward and therefore the Christianity dominating the official and private culture. At last, but not at least are the figural compositions that with the inclusion of specific Christian symbols gained Christian connotation. The present study reveals the still underestimated importance of the mosaic pavements for the study of the development of the political process in Thrace in the Late antiquity and link them with specific historical events as it is attested also elsewhere.
The lost mosaic of the ex Via del Littorio in Ortigia (Syracuse)
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-02) Caro, Dominique Maria DI
The oldest residential area of Syracuse is located in Ortigia, in the center of the island the excavations of the 19th century brought to light luxurious Roman houses with mosaic floors and opus sectile of a certain value. In the years 1927-1928, during the construction of the new Banco di Sicilia building, in Piazza Archimede, several walls emerged that also extended to the further north area, corresponding to Via del Littorio, today’s Corso Matteotti. Between 1934 and 1936, during the construction works, with the demolition of the old houses, in Via del Littorio and nearby, several sections of aqueducts and ruins of Roman houses were discovered and at about 10 m to the south, at the intersection with Via Giusto Monaco (ex S. Cristoforo), other wall structures and a portion of a large polychrome mosaic (2 x 2 m) with an emblema which represented Venus and Cupid dated to the “very late imperial age”. At the time of discovery, the mosaic was detached, as the publisher informs us, but currently the exact location is unknown and it is not recorded in the inventories, it is probably located in one of the museum external deposits. Here is proposed a reinterpretation of the mosaic, based on the details given by the discoverer (Cultrera 1940) and the analysis of the graphic and photographic material provided to me by the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Siracusa.
Mosaic floors of the church at Horbat Hadat, Israel
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-02) Habas, Lihi
The mosaic floors of the church at Ḥorbat Ḥadat in Israel were uncovered in the nave, along the southern aisle, at the eastern end of the northern aisle, between the columns separating the southern aisle and the nave and in the liturgical space. Some of the panels were removed and are now stored in the Rockefeller Museum, some left in situ. The mosaic floors were laid in the early phase of the church, and they continued in use during the late phase with repairs and changes made of tesserae larger than those of the original floors. All the carpets and panels exhibit geometric and floral patterns made in a variety of colored tesserae. These patterns include geometric grids and interlaces, some of which create trompe-l’œil effects. In the late phase, the western part of the nave’s mosaic floor and the northern edge of the westernmost mosaic panel between the columns were replaced by a white carpet with an orange cross. The findings of the cross in the floor will be discussed in the framework of the prohibition (Edict of Emperor Theodosius II, AD 427) against depicting crosses on floors. The early basilica-type dated to the second half of the 5th century AD, and a later phase dated to the end of Byzantine and Umayyad periods (7th–8th centuries), when the church underwent changes and its dimensions were reduced. The church fell out of use during the Abbasid period.
The mosaics from the Roman villa of Pisões (Beja, Portugal). The decorative programme and its significance in the spatial organization of the villa
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-29) Kremer, Maria De Jesus Duran; Serra, Miguel
Located in the Conventus Pacensis, about 7 km southwest of the Roman Pax Julia (today: Beja), this imposing Roman villa is a reference point in the study of the Roman settlements in the south of present-day Portugal. Within this group of constructions in Pisões only the pars urbana has in large part been uncovered: the existence of the wall of a dam, an aqueduct and some peripheral constructions has already been ascertained over the years. It is here that one of the most relevant sets of mosaics with figurative, vegetal and geometric motifs for the study of Roman mosaics can be found and allow the identification of possible mosaic workshops in the current territory of Portugal. Apart from a very concise description by Fernando Nunes Ribeiro in 1972, these mosaics have not yet been studied in depth. In the scope of this work the mosaics of this villa uncovered till today - most of them unpublished – are inventoried using a methodological approach of registration, study and publication, highlighting the interrelation of the pavement and the spatial planning.
The mosaics of the domus I of the plaza de armas of the royal alcazar in roman colonia augusta firma - astigi (écija, seville, Spain) - I
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-01) Vega, Sergio García 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. The first one in being unearthed was the well-known mosaic of the Satyr / Silenus, with the double representation of these two companions of Dionysus in a single head, thanks to a singular visual play. 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. More recently, in 2019-2020, the monumental central peristyle of the residence was excavated, which perimetral corridor was covered with mosaic decoration. The thematic represented in the new mosaic is varied, including several planets, meteorological phenomena or the god Dyonisus himself, together with a panel which contained a scene following a hunt –unfortunately, in this case largely lost, but still recognizable–, all framed by a singular geometric pattern. In this paper is offered the first publication of the remarkable mosaic of the peristyle, just discovered.
On the provenance of the tesserae in the mosaic pavements of Parthicopolis (4th - 6th c.). local quarries, deposits and import (preliminary report for some mosaic tesserae from basilica no 2)
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-22) Petrova, Svetla
This article examines several mosaic tesserae from the mosaic panel of the exonarthex of the early Christian basilica No 2 in Parthicopolis (today’s town of Sandanski). The studied mosaic tesserae are made of glass, brick and stone - marble and sandstone. After the analysis: micro- and macroscopic, method applied: EDS; XRD analysis of the mineral phases and others. The composition and possible production of glass for the smalta tesserae has been established, the composition of the brick tesserae; of two types of white marble tesserae, of sandstone tesserae has been determined. In antiquity, and especially in the early Byzantine period, several marble quarries of very good quality were exploited in the Middle Strymon area. It has been established that the stone tesserae were mined from deposits around the ancient and early Byzantine city, quarries Ilindentsi (‘The marble quarries of Trajan’), and the glass is imported. An assumption has been made about the possible production on site in the city of a type of glass tesserae - with a degree of crystallization. The chemical and structural analysis of the tesserae reveals the origin of the material, stone and glass, the latter in the form of a finished product distributed as an import by Thessaloniki merchants and undergoing only the final stage of heating, cutting and polishing in local workshops. Although research on the origin of tesserae from mosaic panels from the early Christian basilica complexes in Parthicopolis is only in the beginning, research proves the origin of tesserae materials, the supply of mosaic workshops mainly with local stone material, and trade in imported glass for enamel mosaic and its final stage of in situ preparation in Particopolis.
Revisiting the Leda mosaic found at Kornmarkt, Trier (Augusta Treverorum)
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-01) Neira, Luz
This article aims to review the representations of the exceptional mosaic found in the vicinity of the Kornmarkt in Trier, which, since its discovery, has been subject to different interpretations. Undoubtedly, the unique character and the inexplicable, at least in appearance, conjugation of the two main scenes, with various inscriptions, in the two large concave octagons that stand out in the geometric scheme of the field, that is, a scene perhaps of sleight of hand and another of mythological inspiration with the birth of Helena, have given rise to theories, among others, as opposite as the representation of a mystery cult and, in the completely opposite sense, another that identifies it as an expression of the mockery of traditional cults from the most critical Christian sectors of Augusta Treverorum. In this paper, however, the analysis of the figures contained in the geometric compartments in the shape of a circle and a spindle, with servants and saltatrices, who are also identified by epigraphs with their own names, sheds light on the interpretation of the mosaic. In this regard, the consideration of some parallels for the figures of servants and saltatrices, as well as information from literary sources and the context of the ancient Augusta Treverorum in which the mosaic was commissioned are equally revealing when drawing our conclusions. on the identification of a banquet, including the entertainments of the comissatio
Seasonal animals in Roman mosaics
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-27) Witts, Patricia
Animals were popular subjects for Roman mosaics, featuring in many contexts. In his influential book, Season Mosaics of Roman North Africa, David Parrish included a short section on animals symbolising the Seasons, appearing either with personifications or representing the Seasons by themselves. This article widens the discussion and looks beyond North Africa. It begins by examining mosaics on which personifications of the Seasons ride animals and continues with those in which the association is progressively less direct, with a view to analysing which animals can be shown to carry seasonal connotations and whether those animals were associated with more than one season. Mosaics in which four animals appear without personifications are also considered in order to assess whether or not they represented the Seasons. The presence of other seasonal imagery supports this idea, while factors such as the context in which the animals appear and the order in which they are shown can suggest an answer one way or the other. The aim of the article is to demonstrate that whenever four animals are depicted in a mosaic it is worth considering whether they might have seasonal associations, while bearing in mind that this will not necessarily be the case in every instance.
Sectilia pavimenta at lasos
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-02) Angiolillo, Simonetta
In Iasos, a town only partially investigated and with a small number of mosaics, three pavimenta sectilia were brought to light, dating from the beginning of the Roman empire to at least the late 3rd century. While the lithostroton at the propylaeum and the one in the prehistoric necropolis belong to the best known type - a white tessellated floor in which polychrome marble or stone crustae are inserted - the third example, located in front of the east gate of the agora, has special characteristics. The white background is reduced to a minimum, the crustae are closely spaced and linked by one or two rows of tesserae and surround an off-centre pseudoemblema, equally made up of a sectile. The type of pavement of the first two floors mentioned, which are actually the later ones, is very common in Rome and throughout the Italian peninsula; it is known in the western part of the empire and is very rare in the eastern part. The third one, on the other hand, dated between the Augustan age and the second half of the 1st century AD, finds comparisons only on very few specimens, respectively, in Cremona, Lucca, Pompeii, between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD, and in Olympia in the 2nd century AD. Faced with the almost total absence of attestations of this type of floor in the eastern Greek part of the empire and in the rest of Asia Minor, one wonders why, on the contrary, the craftsmen active in Iasos showed such a predilection over several centuries. It has been established that sectilia pavimenta were especially popular in Rome and throughout Italy; in Iasos the presence of numerous Italics who resided and worked there is epigraphically documented; also in the tessellated mosaics of the town, for example in the House of Mosaics, it is possible to identify some ‘Italicisms’ in the decoration and content, and even the presence of a cult dedicated to Heracles as protector of the town leads back to Italic environments. All these elements allow us to think, in my opinion, that the presence of Italics in Iasos had important consequences on the cultural level, including a particular predilection for sectilia pavimenta.
The lod mosaics: From luxurious Roman mansion to catalyst for urban and social change
(Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2022-09-02) Gorzalczany, Amir; Shoeff, Ram
In mid-2021, the Museum and Visitor Centre in the city of Lod, Israel, was inaugurated, housing the remains of the magnificent mosaics discovered in the city, to be finally exhibited to the public. This event, almost 25 years after the beginning of the sporadic excavations of the site by the IAA (Israel Antiquities Authority), seems an appropriate moment to briefly recapitulate on the findings, the history of the research and its scientific and, why not, communal significance. This spectacular site consists of a large Roman domus which includes a lavish colorful mosaic paving a large triclinium, that was exposed in the most prestigious museums in the world. Also includes a peristyle courtyard, and various rooms, all paved with luxurious mosaics. The project (excavated in 1996, 2009, 2014 and 2018) attracted the public attention and enjoyed from its beginning incessant media covering. The mosaics, which depict accurately figures from the animal kingdom, were built in the best style of the time, and boast influences from different parts of the empire. The long process has by no means been simple and the difficulties have been numerous, starting with the chronic lack of funds to finance such a project, the initial resistance and distrust of the inhabitants of the neighborhood and the countless logistical, archaeological, and political impediments. The article summarizes the archaeological findings at the mosaic, and also focuses on the process that went through the modest neighborhood that houses it, from the initial opposition and disbelief of the inhabitants towards the authorities to the recognition of the value of the antiquities. The article also reviews the approach to conservation, the philosophy behind the planning of the museum and the hope for integration into the community framework, to create a sense of belonging and local pride. Beyond its outstanding archaeological, artistic, and scientific value, the Lod mosaic, which began its life in the fourth century CE as part of an elitist and wealthy mansion, can today fulfil an important function as a catalyst for social change and improvement.

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