Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south
OBJECT
OBJECT
Definition
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mosaic floor
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Identification
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part of the decorative complex
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Name/Dedication
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Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south
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Position
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Mosaic in room of thermal area in the west wing from transition period from 4th to 5th centuries.
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Description
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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 1. to the 7. 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. In later periods the villa was 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 4. century, after a fire, and continuous habitation can be determined up until to the next big fire in the 7. century. Thermal area in which floor mosaic is located, dates to transition period from 4. to 5. centuries.
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SUBJECT
SUBJECT
Identification
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Dragonera south, floor decoration mosaic of room in west wing of the thermal part (changing room - apodyterium) of an Antique Period complex (ville maritime) from the second phase of construction.
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Iconographic description
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The mosaic, which covers the floor of the dressing room of the thermal area, has been almost completely preserved. It is a black and white mosaic decorated with a combination of black and white segments in the shape of a chessboard. The whole segment is framed with a white band border with a row of red tessera tiles (STARAC A., 2010, p. 72-73).
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Iconological description
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This mosaic has no iconological distinctive features. The chessboard is a very frequent floor decoration in Late Antique and Early Christian properties.
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GEOGRAPHICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LOCATION
Country
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Croatia
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City
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Peroj
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Locality
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Dragonera
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SPECIFIC LOCATION
Typology
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villa
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Qualification
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villa maritima
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Denomination
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Villa maritima in Dragonera
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Monumental complex the catalogued object belongs to
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Villa maritima Dragonera south
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Address
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Dragonera north and Dragonera south (cadastral plot 19/27 cadastral municipality Peroj, cadastral plot 18/278 and 19/17 cadastral municipality Peroj)
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Specific location
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Mosaic in room in west wing of the villa from the end of the 4. century
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LOCATION AND PROPERTY DATA
Original location
METHOD OF FINDING
Type of finding
INFORMATIONS ON FINDING
Denomination of archaeological site
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Dragonera South
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Management of the work
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Archaeological Museum of Istria
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Those who did the work
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Starac, Alka
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Date
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02/06/2003 – 30/09/2003 ; 13/09/2004 – 08/12/2004
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Other informations
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During the clearing of vegetation for the purposes of construction of a tourist complex, the archaeological remains of an Antique Period site were found.
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CHRONOLOGY
GENERAL CHRONOLOGY
SPECIFIC CHRONOLOGY
From
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4. century
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post
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To
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5. century
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Validity
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ante
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bibliography
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STARAC, ALKA Dragonera : Dva Bisera
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P. 57-81
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CULTURAL DEFINITION
AUTHOR
Name
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Italic itinerant workers
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Personal data/chronology
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4. century - 5. century
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Grounds of basing the dates
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stylistic analysis
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COMMISSIONER
Notes
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Villa Maritima, which in its first phase was a property of the duumviri quinquennales of the Pula colony, it occupied the whole bay. The villa also included a homestead complex, a mooring and a production unit. After the fire in the 2. half of the 4. century the villa was thoroughly rebuilt (new owner). That was the time of the Ostrogoth invasions, but both complexes on Dragonera kept up continual habitation. In the 6. century Istria fell under the Byzantine Empire, which was followed by the immigration of the Slavs. The first and second phases, with all their building features, match Roman building standards of that period. The key features for accurate dating are the workshop stamps on the ceramics that were used in building the property. The whole complex contains a range of features which were used for dating the changes that happened over a period of 600 years, in which there was habitation in these two complexes. The building, in its basic concept, hasn't changed substantially during the whole period, and a series of outbuildings is important in many ways, for example a blacksmith’s workshop which was one of the first recorded in this area in general. Various items that were found here bear witness to many activities, events and living habits inside the complex. The last inhabitants left Dragonera in the 7. century and it is assumed they fled to nearby Veli Brijun.
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SUPPORT
SUPPORT
Typology
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fixed
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Material
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lime flooring
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SUBGRADES
SUBGRADES
Reference to the part
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entire floor mosaic
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LAYER
Color of the whole
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beige
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Nature of the mixture
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lime binder
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Aggregate
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sand, gravel, pieces of brick
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Depth
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0.2 to 3 cm
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TESSERAE
TESSERAE MATERIAL
Material
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stone, marble, ceramics
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Color
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black, white, red
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Typology
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artificial
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Use method
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The mosaic has been arranged in a simple method.
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TECNIQUE
TECNIQUE
Denomination
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mosaic work
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Method
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direct
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SIZES OF ARTWORK
SIZES OF ARTWORK
Unit of measurement
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cm
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Width
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870
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Depth
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7
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Length
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670
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PRESERVATION STATUS & RESTORATION
PRESERVATION STATUS
Date
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2003-2004
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Reference to the part
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mosaic floor
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Description
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The mosaic has been primarily conserved and bound, and lastly covered in geotextiles and sand.
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RESTORATION
Date
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2003-2004
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Responsible institution
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Archaeological Museum of Istria
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Management of the work
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Archaeological Museum of Istria
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Those who did the work
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Aldo Monfardin; Josip Ferri
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Description
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The mosaic has been washed and its edges bound with cement mortar.
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DOCUMENTARY & INFORMATIVE SOURCES
IMAGES
Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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