Mosaic floor with three continuous mythological scenes in frames, Thessaloniki, 199 A.D - 235 A.D
Floor mosaic.
The mosaic floor features three consecutive mythological scenes in separate panels. In the first phase mosaic, likely belonging to a wealthy residence, three romantic scenes are depicted within successive geometric frames. At approximately the center of the mosaic, Ariadne is shown sleeping on a panther’s skin atop a gray rock. She wears a red cloak that covers only her legs, leaving the rest of her body exposed. Her right arm is raised above her head, turned to the left, and her left arm is stretched out on the rock.
On either side of this central scene, pairs of figures are depicted. To the left, Dionysus is shown standing, turned three-quarters to the left, leaning with his bent right arm on a thyrsus (?). With his left hand, he rests on a young shepherd who wears an animal skin over his upper body, walks to the left, and holds a hunting stick. Dionysus is nude, standing on his left leg with the right slightly bent forward, and wears a cloak draped over his back that covers only the relaxed leg. His head is crowned with vine leaves.
To the right of Ariadne, a group of standing maenads is depicted. They wear cloaks and chitons, turn their heads towards one another, converse, and gesture towards the center of the scene. Above the semicircular rock formation, to the left, an elderly Silenus is depicted. His upper torso is nude, and he wears a white cloak while holding a kantharos. An Eros figure stands beside him, facing left, with a tree depicted to the right of Eros.
One of the two small panels depicts an abduction scene. A young man, likely Apollo, is shown with a quiver on his shoulder and a bow in his left hand, violently seizing a young woman, likely Daphne, by her hair (now lost). The male figure wears a reddish-brown chlamys fastened at the shoulder with a clasp, leaving the lower part flowing freely.
The other small panel represents the abduction of Ganymede. Ganymede is shown kneeling, naked, wearing traditional barbaric footwear, a Phrygian cap, and a chlamys fastened at the shoulder. With his raised left hand, he holds an eagle by its neck.
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