Late Fifth-Century CE Wall Mosaics from the Tetrapylon Street in Aphrodisias: Evidence for a Wall Mosaic Habit in Late Antiquity

This article presents evidence for late fifth-century CE wall mosaics from Aphrodisias, provincial capital of Caria, in western Asia Minor. The mosaics formed part of the decoration of an upper-story gallery belonging to one or more luxurious private residences located alongside the Tetrapylon Street, the city’s main north–south avenue. They are therefore a rare example of Late Antique wall mosaics from a domestic context. We present the context in which the mosaic fragments were found, the motifs that can still be recognized, and some of the technical characteristics of these mosaics. Combined with other elements of decoration found in association with the mosaic fragments, we offer a reconstruction of the decorative program of the gallery. We then broaden our view to trace wall mosaics elsewhere at Aphrodisias and discuss waste attesting to glass tessera production. We argue that an itinerant wall mosaic workshop or workshops were active at Aphrodisias in the late fifth and early sixth century CE, when the city’s monuments and residences were undergoing renovations in the wake of an earthquake. We examine the possibility of a wall mosaic habit that was much more widespread than previously thought, extending beyond the ecclesiastical contexts with which it is conventionally associated.1