This work aims at anticipating some of the preliminary remarks about the revised analysis of the remaining wall mosaic found in Aquileia in 1925. The discovery occurred during the excavation supervised by Giovanni Brusin in the South-western suburban area of the city (the previous Fondo Tuzet). The excavation led to the discovery of a complex construction unit, previously interpreted as a public thermal building by Brusin and successively as a large residential villa by Maria Josè Strazzulla. Chronology has proved to be another controversial issue: the building dates back to the period between the end of the I Century and the end of the II Century A.D. according to Brusin, to the end of the I Century A.D. – and in any case not later than the first decade of the I Century A.D. – according to Strazzulla and to the beginning of the I Century A.D. according to Frank Sear. However, considering the fact that only glass tesseraes were employed and judging from the wide variety of colours and the use of other materials – shells, Egyptian blue and twisted sticks, the mosaic is thought to date back to the period between the late Tiberian era and approximately the mid I Century A.D. The proposal of a new chronology invites a revised analysis of the entire excavation material and a further study of both the purchaser and the labour issue, which should be considered in the light of the other wall mosaic remainings found in the area of Northern Italy.
Con il presente contributo si desidera anticipare alcune osservazioni preliminari nate dal riesame dei resti di mosaico parietale rinvenuti ad Aquileia nel 1925, durante lo scavo condotto da Giovanni Brusin nell’area suburbana sud-occidentale della città (ex Fondo Tuzèt). Qui fu messo in luce un articolato complesso edilizio, interpretato dal Brusin come un edificio termale pubblico e più tardi da Maria Josè Strazzulla come una grande villa residenziale. Discussa è anche la cronologia: il Brusin propose una datazione tra la fine del I e gli inizi del II d. C., la Strazzulla alla fine del I sec. a. C. o al massimo entro il primo decennio del I sec. d. C., Frank Sear all’inizio del I sec. d. C. Tuttavia, l’impiego pressochè totale di tessere vitree e di un’ampia gamma di colori, insieme alla presenza di altri materiali, quali conchiglie, blu egizio e bastoncini ritorti, porta a collocare l’esecuzione di questo mosaico tra la tarda epoca tiberiana e la metà circa del I sec. d. C. La nuova cronologia proposta allora suggerisce un riesame di tutto il materiale di scavo e la riconsiderazione degli aspetti della committenza e della manodopera, da valutare anche alla luce delle altre testimonianze di mosaici parietali ora attestati nell’Italia settentrionale.
Il mosaico parietale di Aquileia nel contesto cisalpino: una rilettura
Fulvia Ciliberto
2010-01-01
Abstract
This work aims at anticipating some of the preliminary remarks about the revised analysis of the remaining wall mosaic found in Aquileia in 1925. The discovery occurred during the excavation supervised by Giovanni Brusin in the South-western suburban area of the city (the previous Fondo Tuzet). The excavation led to the discovery of a complex construction unit, previously interpreted as a public thermal building by Brusin and successively as a large residential villa by Maria Josè Strazzulla. Chronology has proved to be another controversial issue: the building dates back to the period between the end of the I Century and the end of the II Century A.D. according to Brusin, to the end of the I Century A.D. – and in any case not later than the first decade of the I Century A.D. – according to Strazzulla and to the beginning of the I Century A.D. according to Frank Sear. However, considering the fact that only glass tesseraes were employed and judging from the wide variety of colours and the use of other materials – shells, Egyptian blue and twisted sticks, the mosaic is thought to date back to the period between the late Tiberian era and approximately the mid I Century A.D. The proposal of a new chronology invites a revised analysis of the entire excavation material and a further study of both the purchaser and the labour issue, which should be considered in the light of the other wall mosaic remainings found in the area of Northern Italy.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
