Ben Cuomo

This dolphin I have selected to recreate is a mosaic from Ancient Greece. It is believed to have been created in the late second century/early first century BC. Meaning that this mosaic, and other mosaics found in Delos are over 2100 years old. Due to warfare, mosaics such as this one, also known as Hellenistic mosaics (Hellenistic meaning relating to Greek culture, history, and/or language from the death of Alexander the Great until the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony) stopped being created in around 69 BC. The materials used to make this mosaic were colored tesserae and well as white and black pebbles.

As I previously stated this mosaic and many similar to this can be found in Greece. Specifically, Delos, Greece. Delos is an island near to the center of Cyclades, which are an island group in the Aegan Sea. This area is found southeast of the mainland of Greece and is a former prefecture of Greece. This area of Greece contains a very high percentage of surviving mosaics from the Hellenistic period, containing just about half that remain. Some examples of other mosaics from this time period, in this area, are mosaics from the House of Dionysos. The reason all these mosaics could be found in Delos is largely due to the city’s importance during this time. Delos was one of the most sacred places in ancient Greece as well as one of the largest trade hubs. Its location was very advantageous for trade, being a middle area between the major commercial areas on the Aegan such as Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, etc.

The picture of the dolphin I selected is from a larger design, The House of Dolphins. The whole mosaic, including the part I will be recreating, was created by Asclepiades of Arados. We believe he was the artist who designed this mosaic because it is his signature that can be seen on the mosaic. This mosaic is unusual for the area and time, and that’s because Asclepiades had the mosaic follow a peristyle floor mosaic design pattern. Peristyle meaning “a row of columns surrounding a space within a building such as a court or internal garden or edging a veranda or porch”. In other words, the design of this “House of Dolphins” is that of having a row of columns on the outside surrounding the mosaic which is on the floor. This specific mosaic has a circle on the floor which is enclosed by a square outline. Each corner of this square has two dolphins which are being ridden by tiny, winged figures who have emblems of various Greek deities on them. The specific emblems are thyrsus (a wand or staff of giant fennel which is covered with ivy vines and leaves), caduceus (a symbol of Hermes, a staff entwined by 2 snakes surrounded by wings), a trident (a fishing device that is the tool of Poseidon, the God of the Sea), and then one other object that unfortunately has been lost to us due to damage. The circle also contains a central rosette design which is surrounded by floral garlands (a decorative wreath of flowers) and griffins (legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle, and sometimes the eagles’ talons as well).

This mosaic was probably made for various reasons. One is that it was to express our creators’ artistic abilities while honoring Gods and other mythological creatures from that time. My reasoning for that is that there are emblems of different Gods which I previously explained as well as Gryphons who are a mythological creature. Two other possible reason ties into its state of being in Delos. The first of which could be due to beliefs of the time. These mosaics were created on the floor for all to see and to be statements of beliefs. These beliefs could be unifying forces to help contribute to a stronger national identity in the area. The second possible reason relates to Delos being such a large trading area. Being such a large trade hub definitely leads to wealth, and mosaics, such as the one I have chosen, can be used as status symbols. In other words, the mosaic was used to show off the wealth of the area.

Overall, from my research we can tell the style of design it follows, who made it, and that he definitely respected the Gods. Based on the location we can also assume when it was made and also why it was made.

/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-zTvebQ6gItch?v=U-zTvebQ6gI

From approximately 7:08-7:25 the mosaic and “house “as a whole can be seen in greater detail.

Sources Used:

This article gives information about the specific Mosaics, time periods, and information like that: https://www.romeartlover.it/Delo2.html

This article is an informational article about Delos which gives historical, mythological, and Architectual information about the area: https://www.worldhistory.org/delos/delos/

This provides some specific details as well as more general information about the mosaic : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaics_of_Delos

As well as https://www.dictionary.com/ for specific definitions