Das Fussbodenmosaik des Annexbaus in der Kuppelkirche in Kaunos – The Floor Mosaics at the Annex Building of the Domed Church

The additional building to the south of the Domed Church in Kaunos is decorated with a floor mosaic. The square pavement consists of floral motifs executed in the opus tessellatum technique, with polychrome tesserae on a white background. The floral motifs include lotuses, herbal patterns, double arches and an ivy scroll. The center of the apse is decorated with a grapevine reaching out from a crater. The upper part of the branches end with bunches of grapes. In Christian art, bunches of grapes are used to symbolize Christ’s suffering, his sacrifice and the hope for a peaceful life after death, whereas the grapevine symbolizes the “Tree of Life”. The mosaics in the southern annex are similar to the floor mosaics of Jordan, Antioch and other residential buildings from the Early Christian to Byzantine period; however, in Kaunos, the annexes of the Domed Church were probably built during Middle Byzantium period. (Excerpt from the author’s abstract.)