Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south

Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south

Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south

M

C

IT

689

R

CIDM

0

OBJECT

OBJECT

Definition

mosaic floor

Identification

part of the decorative complex

Name/Dedication

Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south

Position

Mosaic in room in east wing, construction from 1. to 4. centuries (Flavian building).

Description

The property in which the mosaic is located is part of the Dragonera south site; Dragonera north site. It was a large Antique Period complex which was continuously inhabited from the 1st to the 7th centuries. The complex has been defined as a residential homestead (villa maritima) with an olive processing facility. Dragonera south is the better preserved part of the site, and the floor decoration of the villa from the first building period has been preserved in fragments, but well enough to make assumptions about an expensively equipped building. The mosaic in the room of the east wing of the villa is from the building phase of the 1st to the 4th centuries (Flavian building). The villa was later upgraded and rebuilt, so the floor mosaics from the earliest phase were mostly intersected with partition walls that were built later. The first restoration followed in the 4th century, after a fire, and continuous habitation can be determined up until to the next big fire in the 7th century. Considering its size, the east room with the mosaic most probably served as social hall (oecus).

SUBJECT

SUBJECT

Identification

Dragonera south, floor decoration mosaic of room in east wing of an Antique Period complex (villa maritima)

Iconographic description

The mosaic covered the larger room of the east wing, and basically its composition is simple. There is a large white rectangular segment bordered by a frame made of a black outer and inner edge, and a two strand braid in the middle, and executed in the black and white technique (STARAC A. 2010, pp. 40-41).

Iconological description

A two strand braid as a border for the central segment is a frequent motif in Antique Period floor mosaics from the Augustan period to the 3rd century (STARAC A. 2010, pp. 40-41).

GEOGRAPHICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LOCATION

Country

Croatia

City

Peroj

Locality

Dragonera

SPECIFIC LOCATION

Typology

villa

Qualification

villa maritima

Denomination

Villa maritima in Dragonera

Monumental complex the catalogued object belongs to

Villa maritima Dragonera south

Address

Dragonera north and Dragonera south (cadastral plot 19/27 cadastral municipality Peroj, cadastral plot 18/278 and 19/17 cadastral municipality Peroj)

Specific location

Mosaic in east wing of room in villa (oecus)

LOCATION AND PROPERTY DATA

Original location

yes

METHOD OF FINDING

Type of finding

excavation

INFORMATIONS ON FINDING

Denomination of archaeological site

Dragonera South

Management of the work

Archaeological Museum of Istria

Those who did the work

Starac, Alka

Date

02/06/2003 – 30/09/2003 and 13/09/2004 – 08/12/2004

Other informations

During the clearing of vegetation for the purposes of construction of a tourist complex, the archaeological remains of an Antique Period site were found.

CHRONOLOGY

GENERAL CHRONOLOGY

Century

1. – 4. century

SPECIFIC CHRONOLOGY

From

1. century

post

To

4. century

Validity

ante

bibliography

STARAC, ALKA Dragonera : Dva Bisera

CULTURAL DEFINITION

AUTHOR

Name

Italic itinerant workers

Personal data/chronology

1. century - 4. century

Grounds of basing the dates

stylistic analysis

COMMISSIONER

Notes

Villa Maritima, which was a property of the duumviri quinquennales of the Pula colony, occupied the whole bay. The villa also included a homestead complex, a mooring and a production unit, and the construction is dated to the period between the years of 70 and 90 of the 1st century. There are also the writings of Cassiodorus dating from 537-538 with a description of the properties including the one in Dragonera. The cultural context is the Early Imperial Period and the way of constructing and decorating luxury properties. The descriptions of Cassiodorus help with definitions. In his writings about rural complexes by the sea, like Dragonera, Cassiodorus specifies a series of data, for example he calls them praetoria, in which high officials live, and such properties were independent and closed units.

SUPPORT

SUPPORT

Typology

fixed

Material

lime flooring

SUBGRADES

SUBGRADES

Reference to the part

entire floor mosaic

LAYER

Color of the whole

beige

Nature of the mixture

lime binder

Aggregate

sand, gravel, ground brick

TESSERAE

TESSERAE MATERIAL

Material

stone, marble

Color

black, white

Typology

artificial

Use method

The mosaic is arranged in more simple ways.

TECNIQUE

TECNIQUE

Denomination

mosaic work

Method

direct

SIZES OF ARTWORK

SIZES OF ARTWORK

Unit of measurement

cm

Width

870

Depth

7

Length

670

PRESERVATION STATUS & RESTORATION

PRESERVATION STATUS

Date

2003-2004

Reference to the part

mosaic floor

Description

The mosaic has been primarily conserved and bound, and lastly covered in geotextiles and sand.

RESTORATION

Date

2003-2004

Responsible institution

Archaeological Museum of Istria

Management of the work

Archaeological Museum of Istria

Those who did the work

Aldo Monfardin; Josip Ferri

Description

The mosaic has been washed and its edges bound with cement mortar.

DOCUMENTARY & INFORMATIVE SOURCES

IMAGES

dra_vm_east_001_ICON_-med.jpg

Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south

IMAGES

dra__vm_east_002-med.jpg

Dragonera south, floor decoration mosaic of room in east wing of an Antique Period complex (villa maritima)