The Emperor's tales on the Great Palace mosaic of Constantinople : some iconographic reconstructions

This study aims to emphasize how in Constantinople the notions of ‘rule’ and ‘recreation’ were often strongly associated. A paradigmatic example is indeed constituted by the mosaic floor of profane subjects discovered in the area of the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors and by the architectural context that hosted it. The concept of ‘rule’ is embodied in the apsed hall, an architectural site highly symbolic, whilst the concept of ‘recreation’ is based on the choice of certain iconographic subjects which stand out on the mosaic carpet adorning the peristyle colonnade on which overlooked the apsed hall. The floor mosaic has been unearthed during the excavations campaigns carried out in the years 1935-1938 and 1952-1954 in the area of the Great Palace and it extended over an area of about 250 square meters although its total area amounted to 1872 square meters. The aim of those excavations was to investigate and identify the imperial apartments which were the scene of key events during the history of the Byzantine Empire from the fourth to the twelfth century, when the Komnenian dynasty opted to move the court in the Palace of Blachernae. Any visitor remains fascinated by the moltitude of images which stand out on the mosaic carpet, now conserved at the Büyük Saray Mozaikleri Müzesi: it is possible to recognize scenes linked to mythology, hunting, daily life and ancient tales. Among them we can also identify some fragmentary images that seemingly have no meaning but whose careful study allows a reconstruction of the lost iconographies. The observation and the comparison with some floor mosaics reveal similarities and iconographic assimilations. They often differentiate in style but still share a common intent in the representation of the subject which they suggest if we pay attention to the unit of composition and to the spatial organization of the whole.