The Mosaic Pavements in Philippopolis, Thrace, in 6th c. CE. Some Considerations

Year 2020, Issue: 13, 257 - 279, 02.11.2020

Ivo Topalılov

https://doi.org/10.26658/jmr.782454

Cited By: 3

Abstract

The present paper deals with the mosaic pavements from Philippopolis which are known so far and that might be attributed to 6th c. CE. The topic is of interest because there is almost no information in the literature about the urban development of the metropolis, although it seems that the city gained huge prosperity especially from the first half to the middle of that century. As part of this prosperity, one should also regard the mosaic pavements that still preserve their importance as a medium of new ideas and religious requirements. The mosaic pavements discussed decorate both public and private buildings and reveal that the specifics of mosaic art in Philippopolis are to be attributed to both official Constantinopolitan initiatives, especially in the liturgical aspect, and also the tastes of local elites, as well as the craftsmanship of the local mosaic workshop. Taken together, these factors led to a variety of iconography, intertwined motifs, and colours, which make some of the mosaics unique so far in Late antique Thrace.

Keywords

Philippopolis, Thrace, mosaic pavement, Justinian I, Anastasius I, private residentials, religious buildings

Philippopolis, Trakya’daki, İS 6. yüzyıl Mozaik Döşemeleri. Bazı Düşünceler

Abstract

Bu makalede, bugüne kadar bilinen İS 6. yüzyıla atfedilebilecek Philippopolis mozaik döşemeleri ele alınmıştır. Konu ilgi çekicidir çünkü literatürde metropolün kentsel gelişimi hakkında neredeyse hiçbir bilgi yoktur. Ancak şehrin özellikle o yüzyılın ilk yarısından ortasına kadar büyük bir refah kazandığı görülmektedir. Bu refahın bir parçası olarak, önemlerini hâlâ koruyan mozaik döşemeler de yeni fikirler ve dini gereksinimlerin birer aracı olarak görülmelidir. Tartışılan mozaik döşemeler hem kamu hem de özel binaları süslemekte ve Philippopolis’teki mozaik sanatının özelliklerinin hem resmi açıdan Konstantinopolis ile bağlantılı kullanımlara hem de yerel elitlerin zevklerine ve aynı zamanda yerel mozaik atölyelerinin işçiliğinin ustalığına atfedileceğini ortaya koymaktadır. Birlikte ele alındığında, bu faktörler ikonografi çeşitliliğine, iç içe motiflere ve renklere yol açmıştır, ki bu, mozaiklerin bazılarını şimdiye kadar Antik Trakya’da benzersiz kılar.

Keywords

Philippopolis, Trakya, mozaik döşeme, I. Iustinianus, I. Anastasius, özel konutlar, dini yapılar

References

• Anna Comnenae Alexias Annae Comnenae Porphyrogenitae Alexias, rec. A. Reifferscheir, Lipsiae, 1884.
• Bospachieva 2002 M. Bospachieva, “A small early Christian basilica with mosaics at Philippopolis”, ABulg 2, 55-76.
• Bospachieva 2003 M. Bospachieva, “The Late Antiquity building EIPHNH with mosaics from Philippopolis (Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria)”, ABulg 2, 83-105.
• Bospachieva - Kolarova 2014 M. Bospacheiva – V. Kolarova, Plovdiv – grad varhu gradovete, Filipopol – Pulpudeva – Paldin, Sofia.
• Bospačieva 2001 M. Bospačieva, “Die “äußere” Festungsmauer von Philippopolis im Licht der jüngsten archäologischen Untersuchungen”, M. Wendel (ed.), Karasura Vol. 1. Untersuchungen zur Geschichte und Kultur des alten Thrakien (Weissbach), 173-183.
• Bospatchieva 2001 M. Bospatchieva, “An Early Christian Martyrium from Philippopolis”, ABulg 2, 59-69.
• Chaneva-Dechevska 1999 N. Chaneva-Dechevska, Rannohristiyanskata arhitektura v Balgariya IV-VI, Sofia.
• Dauphin - Edelstein 1993 C. Dauphin - G. Edelstein, “The Byzantine Church at Nahariya”, Y. Tsafrir (ed.), Ancient Churches Revealed, Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem, 49-53.
• Décor I C. Balmelle – M. Blanchard Lemée – J.Christophe – J.-P. Darmon – A.-M. Guimier Sorbets – H. Lavagne – R. Prudhomme – H. Stern, Le Décor Géométrique de la Mosaïque Romaine I, Paris, 1985.
• Dinchev 2009 V. Dinchev, “Antichnite gradski ploshtadni kompleksi i tyahnata sudba prez kusnata antichnost. Chast 1. Philippopolis i Nicopolis ad Istrum”, B. Petrunova - A. Aladžov - E. Vasileva (eds.), LAUREA. In honorem Margaritae Vaklinova Vol. 1, Sofia, 63-81.
• Dyakovich 1906/1907 B. Dyakovich, “Trakiiska grobnitza pri Plovdiv i nekropolat na drevnija grad”, Sbornik za narodni umotvorenija, nauka i knizhnina, XXII/XXIII, 1-55.
• Gazit - Lender 1993 D. Gazit - Y. Lender, “The Church of St. Stephen at Horvat Be᾽er-shem῾a”, Y. Tsafrir (ed.), Ancient Churches Revealed, Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem, 273-276.
• Kantareva-Decheva 2017 E. Kantareva-Decheva, “Novi stratigrafski prouchvanija na mozaikata ot Episkopskata bazilika na Filipopol”, T. Shekerdzhieva-Novak (ed.), Sbornik dokladi ot Mezhdunarodna nauchna konferentsiya “Nauka, obrazovanie i inovatsii v oblastta na izkustvoto”, Plovdiv, 365-372.
• Kesjakova 1983 E. Kesjakova, “Akveduktite i vodosnabdyavaneto na Filipopol”, Archeologiya 1-2, 63-76.
• Kesjakova 1989 E. Kesjakova, “Antichna sinagoga vav Filipopol”, Arheologiya 1, 20-33.
• Kesjakova 1989a E. Kesjakova, “Rannohristiyanska bazilika ot Filipopol”, IzvMuzJužBalg 15, 113-127.
• Kesjakova 2006 E. Kesjakova, “Za rannohristiyanskata arhitektura na Filipopol”, A. Dimitrova-Milcheva - V. Kazarova (eds.), Spartacus II, Veliko Turnovo, 146-156.
• Kesjakova 2011 E. Kesjakova, “Mozaiki ot episkopskata bazilika na Filipopol”, St. Stanev - V. Grigorov - V. Dimitrov (eds.), Studies in honour of Stefan Boyadzhiev, Sofia, 173-210.
• Kolarik 2014 R. Kolarik, “Synagogue Floors from the Balkans: Religious and Historical Implications”, M. Rakocija (ed.), Niš and Byzantium, 12, 115-128.
• Magen 1993 Y. Magen, “The Monastery of St. Martyrius at Ma῾ale Adummim”, Y. Tsafrir (ed.), Ancient Churches Revealed, Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem, 170-196.
• Pillinger et al. 2016 R. Pillinger – A. Lirsch – V. Popova (Hg.). Corpus der spätantiken und frühchristlichen Mosaiken Bulgariens, Wien.
• Popova 2016 V. Popova, “Fons Vitae in Late Antique monuments in Bulgaria”, Studia academica Šumenensia 3, 154-198.
• Proc. Libri de bellis. VIII Procopius, Libri de bellis, Ed. by Haury, Jakob / Wirth, Gerhard, Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana, De Gruyter, 2013.
• SGLIBulg V. Beševliev, Spätgriechische und spätlateinische Inschriften aus Bulgarien, Berlin, 1964.
• Theop. Sim. Hist., VIII. Theophylacti Simocattae, Historiae, ed. C. de Boor, Lipsiae 1887.
• Theoph. Confess. Chron. Theophanis Chronographia, ed. C. de Boor, Lipsiae, 1883.
• Topalilov 2012 I. Topalilov, Das Römische Philippopolis. Band 1. Topografie, städtebau und architektur, Faber, Veliko Turnovo.
• Topalilov 2012a I. Topalilov, “Philippopolis during I – beginning of VII c.”, R. Ivanov (ed.), The Roman and Late Roman cities in Bulgaria, Vol. 1, Sofia, 363-437.
• Topalilov 2014 I. Topalilov, “The Barbarians and the city: A case study on the impact of the barbarian invasion from AD 376-378 and AD 442-447 on the urbanism of Philippopolis, Thrace”, K. Parry - D. Dzino, (eds.), Byzantium and Neighbors. Byzantina Australiensia, Vol. 20, 223-244.
• Topalilov 2014a I. Topalilov, “Barbarians and Philippopolis, Thrace, in the second half of the 6th century (on archaeological data)”, Studia academica Šumenensia 1, 94-113.
• Topalilov 2016 I. Topalilov, “The impact of the religious policy of Theodosius the Great on the urbanization of Philippopolis, Thrace (Preliminary notes)”, O. Brandt – V. Fiocchi Nicolai, (eds.), Costantino e i Costantinidi: l’ innovazione costantiniana, le sue radici e i suoi sviluppi, Acta XVI Congressus Internationalis Archaeologiae Christianae, Roma, 22-28.09.2013, Città del Vaticano: Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana, 1853-1862.
• Topalilov 2016a I. Topalilov, “Local Mosaic Workshops in Late Antique Philippopolis, Thrace: Some consideration”, L. Neira Jiménes (ed.) Estudios sobre mosaicos antiquos y medievales, Madrid, 183-188.
• Topalilov 2016b I. Topalilov, “The importance of the so-called ‘Eastern Gate’ complex for the Christians and Christianity in LA Philippopolis”, M. Rakocija (ed.), Cities and Citizens in Byzantine World. Niš and Byzantium 14, 265-274.
• Topalilov 2018 I. Topalilov, “On the Eirene mosaic from Philippopolis, Thrace”, JMR 11, 273-285.
• Topalilov 2019 I. Topalilov, “The Early Christian basilicae in Philippopolis and Herakleia – two pieces of work of an unknown metropolitan mosaic workshop” (in Print).
• Topalilov 2020 I. Topalilov, “Porta Triumphalis v Kasnoantichna Trakija”, N. Kanev (ed.) Ruler, State and Church on the Balkans in the middle ages. In honour of the 60th anniversary of Professor Dr. Plamen Pavlov, Vol. 1, Veliko Tarnovo, 304-324.
• Topalilov - Ljubenova 2010 I. Topalilov - A. Ljubenova, “Neue Uberlegungen zum hexakonchalen Martyrium von Philippopolis (Plovdiv, Bulgarien)”, MitChrA 16, 69-79.
• Westphalen 2016 St. Westphalen, Die Basilica am Kalekapı in Herakleia/ Perinthos. Bericht über die Ausgrabungen von 1992-2010 in Marmara Ereğlisi, IstForsch 55.