A BUILDING WITH MOSAIC IN THE PATARA HARBOR STREET

Abstract

This article is about a mosaic uncovered during the excavations in chamber II on the westportico of the Harbor Street of Patara that connects the city center to the harbor. The mosaicin question was located on the second floor of the relevant space. The mosaic, which isheavily damaged and consists of many small fragments, is the third example uncovered afterthose founds in the Women's Chapel and Harbor Bath at Patara. After restoration work wascompleted in 2013, it was discovered that the mosaic was made up of a panel surrounded bythree borders. Utilizing seven various tessera kinds, this geometric patterned mosaic wascreated using the opus tessellatum process. With the colors ordered from dark to bright in thepattern processing, the motifs have been given a sense of depth. Filling motifs are utilized inthe gaps of the circular main design to produce more intricate ornamentation. The Pataranmosaic's design repertory and building technique, as well as the excavation results, place it inthe 5th century AD. This mosaic, the topic of the first comprehensive study of Pataranmosaics, is a unique example of floor mosaics found in Lycia and Western Anatolia,particularly in Patara. Furthermore, this study opens questions about the mosaic repertoireof the region, construction techniques, and the identification of possible new workshops.