The Roman Mosaic of the Abduction of Europa - Case Study Example

Name: Institution: Topic: The Roman Mosaic of the Abduction of Europa Professor: Course: Date: The Roman Mosaic of the Abduction of Europa The Roman mosaic of the abduction of Europoa is at the National Museum of Beruit. It is considered that it was revealed at a Roman Villa in 1939. The transfer of the Roman mosaic from its original place has led to the loss of tesserae. The Roman mosaic focuses on the relationship between a bull and an attractive princess which is significant (Apollodorus & Hard, 59). Europa was the daughter of the king of Tyre Agenor, a Phoenician princess, sister of Kadmos, and mother of Rhadamanthys and Minos.The foundation of the methodological story on the shores of Tyre is a fact that the Phoenician civilization was well-known in the 9th Century B.C. (Hard & Rose, 175). According to the myth, it is said that Zeus came to tempt Europa in the form of a white bull. Zeus spied on the princess as she gathered flowers from a field by the sea. He approached her, caressed and kissed her. She climbed the bull’s back and was carried off to Crete where he revealed his true identity (Nock, 256). According to Ovid, “He moved among the cows, more beautiful than they or other bulls, he strolled spring grasses, white southern rains or footprint on at his neck and silvered dewlap hanging, horns as white as if a sculptor’s hand had cut them out of a pearl. No one feared his gaze; forehead and eyes were gracefully begun.Agneor’s daughter gazed at him with wonder.” Zeus and Europa surrounding frame was prepared with gold colored pieces of stone, in form of triangles. The background colors are beige pieces that are headed to the outside and lastly a thin edge of dark, gray black pieces. They stand out and cited higher up and towards the right, hence, an excellent standard, adding movement to the mosaic. Nevertheless, a connected larger margin surrounds a large geometric structure of stones gathering circles near each other. One can observe that each circle was composed of four petal shaped gray forms, and within the circles are figures, engulfing smaller circular beige stones. Each of the four neighboring petals of two semi circles is seen to surround a dark brown square slab. The complex pattern sheds light on the very amazing scene in the frame. The rapidity of the bull while carrying Europa on his back was shown through the symbol within the mosaic. In the mosaic, it is observed that a huge amount of energy was seen as they seem to be flying or about to sprint off. It is observed that Zeus has crescent shaped horns, front hoofs and tail in the air. On the other hand, Europa’s shawl is flowing in the wind hence forming the shape of a crescent since she is the goddess of the moon. Zeus red eyes stand out because he seems to look straight while Europa seems to be staring into space uninterested and relaxed. Europa is barefoot; wearing a one shoulder white robe flowing that covers her left shoulder. A golden crown on her dark brown hair that flows loosely down her shoulder in two braids, her left hand holds a piece of garment that wraps around her thighs and back flowing backwards into the air (Hard, R & Apollodorus, 1999, p. 53). A white rope is seen to be surrounding the bull’s neck and holds it by the mouth that Europa is holding it in her right hand. Europa’s face is seen to be expressing sorrow and concern. At the same time, accompanied by power and courage, the way she is sitting on the bull’s back depicts her being relaxed. Similarly, her expression discloses her alertness. Zeus seems to be delighted but his wide opened left eye is filled with unkindness and anger. Europa is paying special attention to their movement, but the bull is not because his neck is turned to the left slightly nonetheless captivated by his new territory. The bull’s forelegs might have been vaulted showing that he is leaping ahead or running. However, part of his hind legs is not shown in the mosaic. The bull seems to be logically alive and in movement, but the hooves are in some way, greatly separated in two halves. The lower part of the Roman mosaic in the frame has light gray color that might represent the color of the sea, the place that Europa’s kidnap by Zeus took place. The theme of power and desire are symbolized while Europa is seated sloping on the bull’s back holding on to a rope wrapped around her neck. She has one finger released and is a bit without her dress that is sliding off her shoulder, thus showing her limited control over Zeus. The colors of the earth may signify the change in location of land as she moves towards Crete. The mosaic of the abduction of Europa is mostly images formed by small colored stones or tesserae affixed to a hard, stable surface by pushing the tesserae into a thin layer of lime mortar. The Roman mosaic of the abduction of Europa was discovered in a Roman villa in Byblos as an interior architecture (Hard, R & Apollodorus, 1999, p. 61). It is thought that Byblos was subjected to numerous contacts with the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. These cultures contributed to the development of the mosaic. This resulted in the myth of Europa narrated on a mosaic. It was only the Greeks and Phoenicians who were along the Mediterranean coast would have the status of urban culture. The know-how of the traditions of interior decorations required commissioning of mosaics. The Roman Empire adopted the mosaic style hence influencing the Greek and Phoenicians. When they expanded through Italy and Sicily during the 3rd Century B.C leading to the destruction of Carthage, this brought them together into contact with a pictorial mosaic tradition that was originally from the Greek. The mosaic was popular during the Roman period, which is 64B.C to 395 A.D. It was very important to the Romans because it was a form of story telling about the abduction of Europa. The mosaic was made using pebbles, pieces of terra cotta tiles, pumice stone and seashells .It was used for decoration purposes like walls or floor and it beautified the room. The Roman mosaic tends to emphasize extravagance of materials and ornamentation. The past relationship between Phoenicians and Europe were symbol in the abduction of Europa. They were poets like Ovid, Moschos and Homer that wrote about Europa but slightly changed the slogan, hence, resulting to the change of artistic depiction (Johnston, D.E., 2002, p. 99). The blending of Greek, Phoenician and Roman elements are seen in the abduction of Europa. The Phoenician navigators and sellers, the Greek myth and the Empires of Rome game and conquer of other cultures; all played an important role to different forms of expression of the abduction of Europa. Zeus as a bull can still be seen as shinning in the Taurus people and is recognized as a myth today while Europa the Phoenician princess name as the name of the continent of Europe far later. The mosaic style and manner is a melting pot of various cultures influences but mosaics appeared first in the Greek world. In the mosaic of the abduction of Europa it is observed that it is composed by tesserae that were developed in the Hellenistic period between the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. That was adopted in Rome and Italy, and spread throughout the Roman Empire the following centuries. The 1st century B.C onwards mosaics became widely popular in decoration of homes and the growth as a popular art that was used throughout the Roman period that was called “opustessaltum”.The mosaic of the abduction of Europa can be found in museums like the national museum of Beruit that the archeologist found it at the Roman villa in Byblos and to recover pieces (Johnston, D.E., 2002, p. 112). The mosaic is not exactly the way it was originally. The mosaic of the abduction of Europa has influenced various painters to paint about the abduction of Europa like Rembrandt 1632; Peter Paul Rubens 1630.The Roman mosaic played a significant role in the Greek, Roman and Phoenician community as a form of unity and story telling. As I observe the mosaic it brings out beauty to the room. Bibliography: Hard, R. & Rose, H. J., 2004, Handbook of Greek mythology, London, Routledge publishers Hard, R & Apollodorus, 1999, The library of Greek mythology, New York, Oxford University Press. Hunt, P., 2006, The abduction of Europa, “Journal of the Associates of the Stanford University Libraries,” 14, 18 – 21. Nock, J., 2007, A Year Round Guide to Spells, Rituals, and Holiday Celebrations, Massachusetts, Adam media publisher. Johnston, D.E., 2002, Discovering Roman Britain, Oxford, Osprey publishers Read More