The Ganymede Mosaic of Claudiopolis

Abstract

Claudiopolis (Bolu) was a prominent city in Bithynia during the Ancient Period. The Ganymede mosaic was discovered during a rescue excavation at the city center in 2011. The Ganymede mosaic is a floor mosaic arranged in a rectangle and situated on the ground of a Roman villa in the city. The size of the mosaic base is 3.60 m. x 6.70 m. Ganymede, considered as the most beautiful of mortals, was descended from the Dardanians and belonged to the Trojan royal family. Zeus saw and fell in love with the young Ganymede while he had been tending sheep on the slopes of Mount Ida. Zeus either summoned an eagle or turned into an eagle himself to transport the youth to Mount Olympus where he was appointed as cupbearer of the gods. The story of the abduction of Ganymede became popular in Hellenistic art and literature and continued to be so among Roman mosaic artists. The most preferred depiction with regard to the myth of Ganymede in the repertoire of mosaic artists was the scene of Zeus turning into an eagle to abduct Ganymede and bring him to Olympus. The mosaic of Claudiopolis depicts the following stage of the events in which Ganymede, during his life as a cupbearer in Olympus, offers a drink to the eagle. The depiction of this scene has rarely been found, which also adds to the significance of the Claudiopolis Ganymedes mosaic. The scene arranged in a rectangle shows the eagle on the left side and Ganymede on the right side. The panel with figures is surrounded by a border consisting of a line of simple guilloche, a straight band and two lines of intersecting circles. The scene does not involve any bolder, tree or plant motifs as indicators of a natural environment. Due to its stylistic and iconographic characteristics, the mosaic of Claudiopolis is estimated to date back to the late 3th century or early 4th century AD.