Mosaic Inscription Research Articles

Finding Krateros. Exploring the Signatures on the Mosaics in the Roman Villa of Skala (Kefalonia)

Mosaic signatures provide an incredible and unique view into a sector of the ancient world that is often difficult to access. These signatures are formulaic – utilizing similar vocabulary, grammar, and phrasing. Therefore, when a signature deviates from the so-called “norm,” the unique aspects of the inscription should be carefully considered. This article analyses the figure of Krateros, a possible mosaicist or patron mentioned in two lengthy mosaic inscriptions from an Imperial Period villa on the Greek island of Kefalonia. Krateros was traditionally believed to be a mosaicist with an elaborate signature. However, this conclusion has been debated, and his identity and relation to the mosaic and villa speculated. This article aims to provide Krateros with an identity that considers the plethora of information supplied in the inscriptions.

The episcopal palace of Parnassos in Cappadocia and its Early Byzantine floor mosaics

AbstractThe Roman mansio or way station and Byzantine bishopric of Parnassos in Cappadocia is chiefly known through inscriptions and bishops’ lists and identified with the small Turkish village of Parlasan/Değirmenyolu. It came as a surprise when a salvage excavation unearthed a large building with sumptuous floor mosaics beyond the outskirts of the village. Previous excavation reports misrepresented the building as a basilica church, when it was in fact an apsed hall and may be identified as the reception unit of an elite residence, as this article shows. A large central room had an elevated apse where the landlord would have sat. An animal mosaic in front of the apse is comparable to similar compositions in fourth-to-sixth-century urban palaces but avoids any reference to pagan mythology and employs stylistic features that are otherwise known from church floors. A mosaic inscription identifies the reception unit as belonging to the bishop and thus as part of the episcopal palace. This discovery is augmented by the find of a Late Roman sarcophagus and three Early Christian gravestones. Later, after the original palace was mostly destroyed, the building complex underwent a second, utilitarian phase that appears to date from the Invasion Period, when the Arabs raided central Anatolia from the seventh to ninth centuries.

Preplitanje teksta i slike u sakralnom prostoru - votivni podni mozaici iz Gradišta kod Stojnika (Kosmaj, Srbija)

On the site Gradište, near Stojnik on the mountain Kosmaj, the remains of a large complex were discovered. It consists of a longitudinal space divided into several units by transversal walls and a rotunda with an apse built into its eastern part. The architectural characteristics of the complex, as well as its overall appearance and dating to the middle of the 4th century, suggest that it was most probably used as a Christian sacred building. Floors covered in mosaics, although very fragmentarily preserved, also testify to this hypothesis. The largest preserved section of the mosaic consists of votive inscriptions intertwined with various geometrical and figural motifs. This paper is primarily dedicated to the research of those votive mosaic inscriptions, although the attention will also be paid to other represented motifs, in order to understand the iconography of the preserved part of the mosaic floor. The position of the mosaics, their votive character, and overall appearance suggest that they were intentionally placed in what was considered to be a liminal space between two parts of the complex, namely in the place that symbolically divided two spaces of various levels of sacrality. Therefore, this paper also examines other important questions in order to properly understand the meaning and importance of vota in the sacral space: who could see and read those inscriptions, how the inscriptions communicated to their 'readers', what kind of information they convey about the donors, etc.

Geological Materials in Late Antique Archaeology: The Lithic Lectern Throne of the Christian Syrian Churches

The geological materials used in early Christian Syrian churches involve a lithic furnishing element: the lectern throne of the Syriac bema, a stone device used as a support for the holy books. Some inscriptions found in Syria suggest an interpretation for this artifact, located in the middle of the Syriac bema hemicycle, fronting the altar zone. These elements were made of basalt or limestone, depending on the geographical–geological context of the building. In this work, an unedited classification of the main typologies of thrones is proposed with a collatio between geo-archaeological data, epigraphic texts, mosaic inscriptions, literary sources, and findings. The role of this uncommon piece of furniture, uncertain up to now, is explained with a new interpretation coming from archaeological–architectural data combined with ancient sources. The study thus locates this architectonical sculpture in the building stratigraphy and also describes decorations from the lecterns, thus contributing to chronology analysis of published and unedited Syrian sites.

The monastery of Eusebius in Khirbet er-Ras (Kefar Truman)

AbstractThe present paper publishes the archaeological remains of a monastery church excavated in 1958 at Khirbet er-Ras (Kefar Truman), Israel. The description of the architectural remains, including the three-aisled basilica and the structures surrounding it, is based on the archival documentation. This is followed by the detailed description and analysis of the church's mosaic pavements, preserved in the nave and in both side-aisles, with special emphasis on the mosaic decoration of the nave's central panel, set as a carpet design made up of florets enclosed by outlined scales, whose Levantine parallels are reviewed. In contrast to the sixth-century CE date proposed in previous reports, the setting of the floor is here placed into the third quarter of the fifth century CE based on Leah Di Segni's palaeographic date of the mosaic's inscription located in front of the sanctuary area. Using this revised date as a springboard for further discussion, a less linear stylistic development of mosaic floors covered by floral semis ornaments embedded in plain and outlined scales is suggested.

Something borrowed, something new? Semitic loanwords and transcriptions in the Greek epigraphy of Palestine and Arabia

ABSTRACT This article considers Semitic loanwords and transcriptions in the Greek epigraphy of the southern Levant, roughly corresponding to the Roman provinces of Judaea–Palaestina and Arabia, through three case studies entailing Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic as source languages. The texts are a bilingual Hebrew–Greek ossuary inscription from a burial cave in Jerusalem; a Greek mosaic inscription from the cathedral church of Madaba; and a bilingual Greek–Old Arabic rock-cut graffito from Wadi Salma in north-west Arabia. This consideration complements a similar survey for Syria and Phoenicia by J.-B. Yon and reinforces his conclusion of a connection between loanwords and epichoric religious traditions. It also provides a counterpoint to the more recent study of J. Price and S. Naeh, who associate transcription with ‘marginality’ and ‘liminality’; the cases assembled here show that, at least for the inscribers, the practice was instead centrally integrated with religion and culture.

The Mosaic Inscriptions of the Cibyran Odeion

The aim of this article is to introduce three mosaic inscriptions and an inscription fragment of a pedestal, unearthed during the excavations carried out in the stoa in front of the Olmpeion odeion between 2011 and 2014 in Cibyra. As it is understood from the inscriptions, the mosaic floor, approx. 550 m2, in front of the monumental entrance of the odeion in a north-south direction was decorated in mosaic flooring by Aurelius Sopatrus and Claudius Theodorus, sons of Epancrates from one of the leading families of the city. It was carried out chronologically between 249-254 AD (according to the Cibyran era, 226-231). The first inscription includes the philanthropists promise to adorn the floor with mosaic in front of the odeion (249 AD); The second is to start the mosaic flooring in the same year. The last is to fulfill the promise completing the mosaic floor in front of the odeion (254 AD). Through the inscriptions, it is understood that the Cibyran odeion was called “Olympeion”. Other than this, new persons relating to the provincial priesthood of Asia are documented. Finally, a fragment of an honorary inscription is introduced which is thought to have been used for typogenic material dating to 243/252 AD.

Traces of Wulfila’s Bible Translation in Visigothic Gaul

Abstract The analysis of the biblical names transmitted by the – now lost – mosaic inscriptions of the church Notre-Dame de la Daurade, in Toulouse, suggests the possibility that they may represent the Latin adaptation of Gothic names deriving from Wulfila’s Bible translation. These forms would therefore be significant witnesses to the circulation of the Wulfilian text in Visigothic Gaul. They would also testify to the ongoing Latin acculturation of the new settlers in Gaul, or at least in the capital Toulouse, where the (relatively) peaceful relations with the Gallo-Romans, encouraged by a court open to Roman culture, may have promoted a rapid bilingualism – although not a complete assimilation – of the Visigothic population. The mosaic inscriptions of the Daurade would perfectly represent this cultural amalgamation, by joining the traditional religious belief (Arianism-Homoianism) and texts (Wulfila’s version) of the Goths, with forms of art (mosaics) and language of the Gallo-Romans.

The monastic mosaic at Mount Nebo, Jordan: biogeochemical and epigraphical evidence for diverse origins

Abstract

Archaeological Contexts of Inscriptions in the Private Sphere: The Mosaic Inscriptions of a villa rustica in Skala/Cephalonia

The article deals with inscriptions on the floor mosaics of a residence in Skala on the island of Cephalonia. The archaeological context of the inscriptions, their representation and legibility as well as their contents will be addressed. In at least two rooms, inscriptions have been combined with depictions that give insights into the beliefs of the residents. One shows the personification of Envy, depicted as a damnatus ad bestias, which was common in amphitheatrical scenes on mosaics in imperial times, another a sacrifice of three animals (trittoia), which is only seldom depicted and also rarely documented in epigraphy and literature; to date, the picture in the villa of Skala together with a mention in a play by Aristophanes are the only sources for this sacrifice in the private realm of a house. Moreover, the depiction probably refers to a real sacrifice made on the outskirts of the villa. The commissioner of the inscribed mosaics was certainly the homeowner, who is recorded by his name Krateros in two mosaic inscriptions in the house. He was probably identical with Lucius Pompeius Krateros Cassianus, a member of a third-century-AD elite family from Elis known from inscriptions found in Olympia. Although both the figurative representations on the mosaic floors and the length of the inscriptions are unusual, they have received too little attention so far. The nearest parallels are to be found in the mosaic art of Patras, only a short distance away across the sea, where a whole series of comparable mosaics came to light, especially during emergency excavations. The mixture of »Greek« and »Roman« in the depictions of the mosaics in the villa in Skala could be explained by a mosaicists’ workshop from Patras, a Roman colony founded by Augustus, where such depictions might have developed.

Global Epigraphy: The Scholarship on Inscriptions of Eurasia from Antiquity to the Early Modern Period

medieval worlds provides a forum for comparative, interdisciplinary and transcultural studies of the Middle Ages. Its aim is to overcome disciplinary boundaries, regional limits and national research traditions in Medieval Studies, to open up new spaces for discussion, and to help developing global perspectives. We focus on the period from c. 400 to 1500 CE but do not stick to rigid periodization. medieval worlds is open to submissions of broadly comparative studies and matters of global interest, whether in single articles, companion papers, smaller clusters, or special issues on a subject of global/comparative history. We particularly invite studies of wide-ranging connectivity or comparison between different world regions. Apart from research articles, medieval worlds publishes ongoing debates and project and conference reports on comparative medieval research. Table of Contents Uses of the Past in Times of Transition: Forgetting, Using and Discrediting the Past Introduction. Making the Past in Late and Post-Carolingian Historiography Maximilian Diesenberger The Church as a Governance Actor in a Period of Post-Imperial Transition: Delegation of Fiscal Rights and Legal Change in 10th-century Churraetia Stefan Esders Understanding the Church’s Past: Usuard’s Martyrology in Tenth-and Eleventh-century England Sarah Hamilton Creating an »Orthodox« Past: Georgian Hagiography and the Construction of a Denominational Identity Emma Loosley Leeming Using the Carolingian Past in a Society of Transformation: The Case of Early Medieval Septimania/Catalonia in the Long Tenth Century (900-1050) Matthias M. Tischler Uses of the Past in Early Medieval Iberia (Eighth-Tenth Centuries) Jorge Elices Ocón and Eduardo Manzano Moreno Royal Marriage, Frankish History and Dynastic Crisis in Regino of Prüm’s Chronicle Eric J. Goldberg and Simon MacLean Negotiating the Roman Past in Later Tenth-century Armenia Tim Greenwood Aitire, 人質, тали, όμηρος, رهن , obses: Hostages, Political Instability, and the Writing of History c. 900-c. 1050 CE Alice Hicklin Approaches to Global Epigraphy, I Global Epigraphy: The Scholarship on Inscriptions of Eurasia from Antiquity to the Early Modern Period Andreas Rhoby, Veronika Scheibelreiter-Gail and Andreas Zajic Archaeological Contexts of Inscriptions in the Private Sphere: The Mosaic Inscriptions of a villa rustica in Skala/Cephalonia Elisabeth Rathmayr and Veronika Scheibelreiter-Gail Inscriptions in Areas of Historical Western Tibet (mNga’ ris skor gsum) in their Contexts: A Brief Overview with Selected Examples Christian Jahoda Byzantine Connections History and Exegesis in the Itinerarium of Bernard the Monk (c. 867) Daniel Reynolds

(ii) Interim report on the inscriptions from the aedes of the fort near Tel Shalem

Ever since the discovery of a building inscription of a vexillatio of the legio VI Ferrata near Tel Shalem,1 it was clear that the area was a locus of Roman military activity. In the following years the vicinity of the Tel yielded the inscription of a Hadrianic arch whose letter-size is surpassed only by the lettering on the Pantheon and the Arch of Titus in Rome.2 Most recently, the headquarters complex of the fort (principia), and in particular the regimental shrine (aedes or sacellum), have been uncovered (see above). Within and in front of the aedes were found three inscriptions:3 a dedicatory inscription to Caracalla on a statue base in front of the building (no. 1), and two mosaic inscriptions inside, one at the entrance to the nave (no. 2), the other at its far end (no. 3). The fills covering the building produced stamped roof-tiles bearing three different formulae. The new inscriptions prove that the building was the aedes of the Ala VII Phrygum. The earliest attestation of its presence in Syria Palaestina is inferred from a military diploma of A.D. 1394 found at Apheka, not far from Tel Shalem. Assuming that the Ala Phrygum, attested without the number VII in the province of Syria up to A.D. 88,5 is the same unit as the Ala VII Phrygum of our inscriptions, its transfer to Iudaea is most likely to be associated with the suppression of the Bar Kokhba Revolt.6 The inscriptions published here provide the latest known date for its stay in Syria Palaestina, some 40 years after the latest date so far attested in military diplomas.7

Κτίστας θεωρεῖς. Wer ist der zivile Würdenträger auf dem Stiftermosaik in der Demetrios-Kirche in Thessaloniki?

<p>WHO IS THE CIVIL DIGNITARY ON THE MOSAIC OF THE DONORS IN THE CHURCH OF ST DEMETRIOS IN THESSALONIKI? </p><p>This paper focuses on the analysis of the insignia, the portrait and the so-called square nimbus in order to clarify the identity of the anonymous civil dignitary depicted in the famous 7th century mosaic of the donors in the church of St Demetrios in Thessaloniki. It is argued that he is not (as often supposed) the founder of the church, the praetorian prefect of Illyricum Leontios, but rather a contemporary donor of the mid-7th century who contributed to the rebuilding of the church after a fire damaged the building about 620/30. His garment and his insignia do not fit to those of a praetorian prefect but most likely represent the highest senatorial dignity in the 7th century, namely that of an honorary consul (ἀπὸ ὑπάτων or ὕπατος). This does not exclude the possibility that he did hold the office of the prefect of eastern Illyricum (respectively of Thessaloniki) as well. The mentioning of the name Leo in the mosaic inscription pertaining to the rebuilding after the fire follows a common epigraphic habit in building inscriptions that refers to the authority responsible to approve the execution of the project. This Leo is often assumed to be the same person as the civil dignitary. Although this conclusion is generally possible it has to remain hypothetical.</p>

Conservative Approaches in the Ancient Synagogue Mosaic Pavements in Israel: The Cases of ‘Ein Gedi and Sepphoris/Zippori

The uniqueness of the ‘Ein Gedi synagogue (fifth century CE) is reflected in several mosaic inscriptions, which give a clear idea of the particular religious view of the Jewish community there, especially that of its spiritual leaders. The textual representation of the twelve signs of the zodiac wheel, instead of the figurative one, was tendentious and stood in total opposition to the visual depiction. A similar conservative approach appears in the non-figural (aniconic) representation of Helios/Sol in the zodiac wheel of the synagogue mosaic at Sepphoris/Zippori (fifth century CE). This representation of Helios/Sol, as a rayed sun-disk, emphasizes the intolerant and non-liberal perception of the Jewish Sages in Sepphoris/Zippori, following the Biblical Second Commandment and in contrast to other synagogues of the early Byzantine period in Israel.

Christian Monasticism in Roman Arabia at the Birth of Mahomet

The purpose of this article is to set in context the Syriac letter written in CE 569/570 and subscribed by one hundred thirty seven Archimandrites from the Roman province of Arabia. It examines the geographical shape of the province in the 6th century, the distribution of its episcopal sees and the ethnic and linguistic character of its population. The predominant language in the documentary evidence, including mosaic inscriptions from churches, is Greek. But while the letter, preserved in Syriac, was probably written originally in Greek, only twenty of the 137 Archimandrites record having given their “subscriptions” in Greek. An English translation of the subscriptions is offered. The article further explores the personal nomenclature and the ecclesiastical ranks of the signatories, leaving the complex question of the geographical distribution of the monasteries named to the article by R. G. Hoyland.

A Further Funerary Mosaic Inscription from Osrhoene

A Further Funerary Mosaic Inscription from Osrhoene

The mosaic inscription in the Nile Festival Building at Sepphoris

The mosaic inscription in the Nile Festival Building at Sepphoris

Response to L. Di Segni, JRA Suppl. 49, 91-97 The mosaic inscription in the Nile Festival Building at Sepphoris: the House of the daughter of the governor Procopius (A.D. 517-18?) and her husband Asbolius Patricius

<i>Response to L. Di Segni</i>, JRA Suppl. 49, 91-97 The mosaic inscription in the Nile Festival Building at Sepphoris: the House of the daughter of the governor Procopius (A.D. 517-18?) and her husband Asbolius Patricius

‘Peace and Mercy upon all your Blessed People’: Jews and Christians at Apamea in Late Antiquity

The mosaic of the synagogue of Apamea in Syria, dated to 392 CE, spotlights a Jewish community at a key moment in its history when, surrounded by outbreaks of anti-semitism and the destruction of synagogues, its members invested substantial resources in their own building. Careful reading of the mosaic inscriptions shows how the mosaic project was organised, and suggests that the female members of the community played a particularly important part in it. Archaeology reveals how the synagogue was destroyed about 20 years after its rebuilding, and a church was erected on top of it.

Two wall mosaic inscriptions from the Umayyad market place in Bet Shean/Baysān

This article reports the discovery by the Hebrew University Expedition to Bet Shean of two unique wall mosaics with Arabic inscriptions under the ruins of the entrance gate to the Umayyad market in the south-eastern part of the excavated city centre. This gate consisted of two stone piers; on the front of each of these was a rectangular decorated stone frame and a mosaic inscription in square Kufic script executed in gilded tesserae on a deep blue background. The first inscription contains four lines of prayer, including the Basmallah and the testimony of al-Shahāda. The lower part of the inscription was not found and it is suggested that the three missing lines contained the quranic verse (IX, 33), most frequently quoted in the Umayyad period. The second inscription consists of seven lines, again starting with the Basmallah formula, and followed by the order given by the Caliph Hishām b. ‘Abd al-Malik (reigned 105–125 A.H./724–743 C.E.) to the governor of jund al-Urdunn Ishāq b. Qabisa to erect this building. The market structure is believed to have been completed in the year 120 A.H./738 C.E. It collapsed eleven years later in the earthquake of 749.