[Archport] PERCEPTION OF TIME ON ROMAN MOSAICS

[José D´Encarnação <jde@fl.uc.pt>]

 

ROGEMOPORTUR III:

PERCEPTION OF TIME ON ROMAN MOSAICS (Zodiac, Seasons, etc.) April 3 - 5, 2026 - Osmangazi / Bursa / Türkiye

 

 

We are pleased to announce our symposium themed RoGeMoPorTur III: Time Perception on Roman Mosaics (Zodiac, Seasons, etc.) to be held in Osmangazi / Bursa / Türkiye between 3 –

5 April 2026.

 

One of the most decisive aspects of the cultural richness of the Western world is undoubtedly the presence and interaction of different cultures. Contacts between people from other cultures and regions have always existed, and a symbiosis between the existing and the new has led to the emergence of new cultural expressions. Politics and trade, territorial expansion, and the settlement of conquered lands were important factors in the cultural and artistic exchange between the different regions of the Roman Empire. This exchange is well represented in the numerous testimonies of our Hellenistic and Roman heritage.

 

The RoGeMoPorTur project (Roman Geometric Mosaics in Portugal and Türkiye: A Comparative Study) is essentially a pilot project for scientific collaboration in the field of Roman mosaic studies between researchers from different disciplines such as archaeology, art history, conservation, and restoration from Portugal and Türkiye. It aims to identify and comparatively analyze the interaction of cultures reflected in Roman mosaics on the territory of Portugal and Türkiye.

 

It aims to describe and comparatively analyze the interaction of cultures reflected in the Roman mosaics on the territory of Portugal and Türkiye. It is also to explain, to the extent possible, the cultural exchange and interaction between East and West, resulting from the mobility of artisans, trade, and contacts between different parts of the Empire.

To this end, the RoGeMoPorTur project was initiated and the first colloquia were held in Alter- do-Chão from July 1 to 3, 2016, and and the second in Lagos from February 28 to March 2,

2025.

 

The third symposium of the RoGeMoPorTur project will be held in Bursa between 3 - 5 April

2026 upon the invitation of Osmangazi Municipality. The theme of the symposium will be the perception of time in cultural interaction. The creation of the perception of time on Roman mosaics with personified abstract concepts such as the Zodiac and the seasons played a decisive role as a means of carrying the traces of Roman culture across a vast geography where the Empire spread from North Africa to Portugal and Türkiye.

 

For this reason, time-themed mosaics from different regions of the Mediterranean will be presented and discussed at the symposium. The symposium is open to anyone interested in the perception of time on mosaics. The papers will be published in the Journal of Mosaic Research in 2027.

 

Deadline for Abstract Submission: 01/10/2025

Announcement of Accepted Papers: 01/11/2025

Deadline for Full Text Articles: 01/06/2026

 

aiematurkey@uludag.edu.tr

 

Prof. Dr. Derya Şahin

BUÜ Mosaic Research Center

Director