Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1979 - 42

second row is partially hidden by the first. The
rosette is encompassed by a circular ring of palmettes and lotus flowers, and each corner is
occupied by a bucrane and an eagle with
outspread wings. Each of these corner patterns
is emphasized by variations in form or color.
The band which runs along the central square
consists of four lively scenes. On the two main
ones, the artist has illustrated the legendary battle
of the Ariphaspeans with the Griffins. The Greek
historian Herodotus (History III, 116; IV, 13, 27)
and the tragic poet Aeschylus (Prometheus Unbound,
802-804) tell us that the one-eyed Ariphaspeans
fought against the Griffins, the gold keepers of
the northern countries. Here the Ariphaspeans
are depicted as two feminine Thracian warriors.
Each wears a Phrygian cap and three different
garments: the first, skin-tight, covers their arms
and legs; the second, a short tunic, is depicted in
two slightly different ways; the third one is a sort
of cape or chlamyd, streaming in the wind. Both
women warriors wear yellow shoes. Their
weapons are Thracian: they are equipped with the
crescent-shaped shield, the pelte, and one of them
holds the short sword, the machaira . The Ariphaspeans are distinguished from each other in
attitude and motion. The one with the sword
springs at the griffin; the other tries to protect
herself with her shield. The griffins are depicted
in the usual way with feline bodies and the heads
and long wings of birds of prey. In the two minor
sjcenes, two lions attack two horses by biting their
hindquarters. The horses are collapsing under the
weight of their aggressors, and the efforts they
make to break loose are suggested by the movements of the bridles that float in the wind. These
exciting scenes offer a series of variations in the
attitudes of the lions and in use of colors. Their
frozen action made the banquet hall floor full of
life for the guests who ate and drank in the room.

In June 1978 the Swiss team undertook a campaign to restore the valuable pebble mosaic flooring of the House of Mosaics. Soundings enabled
us to determine the precise technique used to
create the mosaics. A bed of mortar was cast on
top of a filling material made of earth and sherds.
A layer of stones, each measuring five to 15 centimeters, was set on top of this layer. The pebbles
of the mosaic decoration were set in yet another
thinner layer of mortar. The mosaic floorings attained a total of about eight to 15 centimeters in
thickness. In comparison to other Greek pebble
mosaics, the style of technique at the House of the
Mosaics is distinguished by a certain degree of re-

ARCHAEOLOGY

finement in the rendering of volume and relief:
the muscular masses of the animals are indicated
by black lines as well as the disposition of the
pebbles, and the use of various colors give the
impression of volume and depth.
Although they drew on the familiar repertoire
of classical mythology, the artists subtly varied the
scenes and made them individualistic. The four
major panels - including the Achilles legend,
the fight of the Ariphaspeans and Griffins, the
theme of animals struggling, and the sphinx and
gorgons - all present enough common features to
enable us to state that they were created simultaneously by the same workshop, if not by one artist
and his fellow workers. Furthermore, the date of
these splendid mosaics can be precisely determined according to two criteria, irrespective of
technical problems, iconographical repertoire or
style. The first is provided by the abundant and
exactly dated pottery, discovered in the earth fill
that one of the mosaics was set on. The second is
provided by the oldest components found in the
destruction layer. This stratum consists, in this
particular case, of fragments of Panathenaic amphoras dating from 363-2 b.c. We may therefore
definitely date the mosaics to the first third of the
fourth century b.c.
Architecturally the House of the Mosaics is
not unparalleled in Eretria. Several other edifices
dating to the same period have been excavated
and studied by archaeologists. They exhibit striking similarities: analogies in the plan, especially in
the arrangement of certain rooms and sometimes
even in their identical dimensions. It may be possible that the Eretrians had but one architectural
standard at the beginning of the fourth century
b.c., or that the rich among them insisted on
having a specific type of house. We would like to
know more about the identity of the owners of
this house and their social and economic status.
But one fact is clear from the striking terracotta
wall ornaments and magnificent pebble
mosaics - they enjoyed being surrounded by
lavish, colorful decoration.
For Further Reading on the excavations at Eretria: Pierre Ducrey and Ingrid R. Metzger, Antike
Kunst 22 (1979):3-21 (Francké Verlag, Bern, Switzerland 1979), the first scientific preliminary publication of the House of the Mosaics; Eretria , Ausgrabungen und Forschungen 1968- (Francké Verlag,
Bern, Switzerland 1968-1979), six volumes detailing the Swiss excavations at Eretria.
On the general history of Eretria: Paul
Auberson and Karl Schefold, Führer durch Eretria
(Francké Verlag, Bern, Switzerland 1972), a guide
to the site and ruins.

Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1979

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1979