Mosaics of Lydian Tripolis in the Late Roman and Early Byzantine Periods [Geç Roma ve Erken Bizans Dönemleri’nde Tripolis (Lydia) Mozaikleri]

Abstract

Archaeological excavations conducted from 2012 through 2021 at Tripolis by the River Maeander have brought to light spaces with mosaic pavements in some public and civilian structures. Mostly the colonnaded galleries of streets and agorae of public architecture are paved with mosaics displaying mainly floral decoration whereas civilian structures led by houses feature mosaics with floral and geometric ornamentation together at times. The Mosaic House, which has provided us with immense data regarding settlement architecture of the city from the Late Hellenistic (date) through the fourth-fifth century AD, has rooms with mosaic pavements with fine craftsmanship and high quality, which are the most intact examples uncovered in the course of ten years of excavations. These mosaics and floorings should be among the elements contributing to the fame of Late Roman houses of Tripolis in Late Antiquity as inferred from the inscription on the pedestal of the honorary statue of Hermolaos, a Tripolitan who attained the level of senator in Rome in the mid-fourth century AD, stating that “… in case you would like to learn more about His family and his graceful deeds the city’s people and their renowned townhouse shall be the witnesses.” For the time being it is not possible to clearly answer the query regarding the identity of masters who made the Tripolitan mosaics, whether they were local or traveling ateliers; however, in 2015 campaign, stone fragments bearing traces of processing phases to manufacture tesserae were uncovered in the colonnaded gallery of a main artery of the city and they constitute the first evidence for activities regarding mosaic production at Tripolis. © 2023, Bursa Uludag University. All rights reserved.