Why do pictures made up of hundreds of separate pieces appear to us humans as whole and cohesive? It turns out that our brains are wired to perceive objects in their entirety before identifying individual parts. This is a phenomenon known as Gestalt.

Perhaps the first artists to make use of Gestalt were those who worked with mosaics, colored bits of stone fixed into mortar. The concept is improbable because stones are among the most mundane of materials. Yet artists have used them successfully as far back as 400 BCE.

Affluent Greeks, and later Romans, laid mosaics on the floors of their dwellings just as we place decorative rugs. Some were simply decorative designs, but others served a storytelling function, depicting scenes from the lives of important gods and goddesses.

Byzantines had a different goal for mosaics. They used them to adorn the walls and ceilings of churches–and to remind congregants of their faithful forbears. In addition to stones, Byzantine mosaic artists incorporated pieces of glass with reflective silver and gold leaf backing.

As Turkey was the home to both Byzantine and Roman cultures, this country is a treasure trove of mosaic art.In 1999, Turkey was preparing to construct a large dam across the Euphrates River in southeastern Turkey. As engineers began their work, however, they uncovered ruins of a 2nd century CE Roman city.

The city was called Zeugma. Located at the eastern edge of the Roman Empire, it had an estimated 70,000 residents and served as the base for a Roman legion.

Its position on the banks of the Euphrates River and along the Silk Road made it immensely wealthy, and this wealth was displayed in home furnishings. Frescoes uncovered from the villas appear almost as fresh as when they were painted nearly 2,000 years ago. Beautiful mosaics depict a vanished culture’s mythology. Many graceful stone columns stand in place, and around them are remains of walls and plumbing, iron window frames and lamps that illuminated nights long ago.

To save Zeugma’s mosaics from submersion, many were removed to a museum in the nearby city of Gaziantep.Several weeks ago, Sankar and I drove from Gaziantep east to the Euphrates River where we found Zeugma and the remains of a large terraced dwelling above the dam’s waters. A museum is being built around this dwelling, but it is not yet complete, so we were allowed to wander around freely and at no cost.

Preserved Zeugma dwelling, soon to open as a museum

 

Ancient splendor: mosaic floor uncovered by archeologists

Three-paneled mosaic “carpet” and other, separate sections

The next morning, we visited Gaziantep’s brand new Zeugma Museum, said to be the largest collection of mosaics in the world. Many tell the stories of Roman gods and goddesses.

Oceanos and Tethys among underwater friends

Oceanos, a laid-back beach bum

This fish swims upside down in the Oceanos mosaic

 

The relaxed god of the Euphrates, with river water flowing out of his jug

Border detail, Eros and Psyche mosaic

Parthenope and Metiochus, legendary lovers who could never be united. Ironically, parts of this mosaic were separated for years and finally brought back together.

This famous mosaic is known as the Gypsy Girl. It could be the goddess Gaia. Or it could even be a young Alexander the Great.  What is (s)he thinking?

Here is an interesting video that explains the Zeugma mosaics:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8323657299167199011#

Now let’s look at Byzantine mosaics. Since Istanbul was for over a thousand years the center of Byzantine Christianity, many of its churches feature exquisite religious mosaics, created to inspire religious fervor and devotion.The Pammachristos church, built in the 11th and 12th centuries, has some of the finest mosaics in Istanbul.

Pammachristos

St. Anthony, brightening an otherwise dark ceiling arch

 

St. Gregory the Illuminator, looking down from a richly-decorated ceiling dome

St. Savior in Chora is considered the finest surviving example of a Byzantine church.The current building dates from about 1077, but the mosaics that cover the interior walls were placed between 1315 and 1320. The walls and ceiling mosaics detail the geneaology of both Mary and Jesus, and portray important scenes from their lives.

St. Savior of Chora

The Journey of the Magi

Blessing the loaves