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

691

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 of thermal area in the west wing from transition period from 4th to 5th centuries.

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 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.

SUBJECT

SUBJECT

Identification

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.

Iconographic description

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).

Iconological description

This mosaic has no iconological distinctive features. The chessboard is a very frequent floor decoration in Late Antique and Early Christian properties.

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 room in west wing of the villa from the end of the 4. century

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 ; 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

4. – 5. century

SPECIFIC CHRONOLOGY

From

4. century

post

To

5. century

Validity

ante

bibliography

STARAC, ALKA Dragonera : Dva Bisera

P. 57-81

CULTURAL DEFINITION

AUTHOR

Name

Italic itinerant workers

Personal data/chronology

4. century - 5. century

Grounds of basing the dates

stylistic analysis

COMMISSIONER

Notes

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.

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, pieces of brick

Depth

0.2 to 3 cm

TESSERAE

TESSERAE MATERIAL

Material

stone, marble, ceramics

Color

black, white, red

Typology

artificial

Use method

The mosaic has been arranged in a simple method.

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_thermal_001_ICON_-med.jpg

Floor decoration of villa maritima in Dragonera south

BIBLIOGRAPHY

STARAC, ALKA Dragonera : Dva Bisera