A polychrome Gorgoneion in the centre of a black and white mosaic floor from Pompeii.

Early 1st century AD. Excavated on 11th November 1784 in Room 38, a cubiculum
(bedroom) of the House of the Vestals (Casa delle Vestali, Regio VI, Insula 1, Casa 7),
Pompeii. Removed to the Naples museum on 13th December 1787. The house was
named due to the mistaken belief that it was the residence the Vestal Virgins.

The head of Medusa in the centre of a mosaic floor from
the Villa of Dionysos, Dion, Macedonia. 2nd century AD.

Detail of a mosaic floor found in 1892 in Zea, Piraeus. Made in the 2nd century AD,
using the opus tessallatum technique. The winged head of Medusa in the central rondo
portrays her as an attractive, blond, young woman with snakes in her hair. The mosaic
also features the popular geometric pattern of intersecting radial spirals and concentric
circles, defined by triangles. Like the image of Medusa, it is thought that the pattern
was believed to have supernatural apotropaic properties (able to avert evil).

A large section of a mosaic floor with the winged head of Medusa in the central medallion
(see detail below). The geometric pattern surrounding the Gorgoneion is the same as that
on the mosaic from Piraeus above but monochrome (black and white). Ivy leaves fill the
corners within the mosaic's relatively simple frame.

2nd century AD. From a large buiding in Patras, northwestern Peloponnese, Greece.

Patras Archaeological Museum.

Detail of the mosaic floor from Patras above, with the Gorgoneion in the central medallion.

The head of Medusa in the centre of a floor mosaic. From the Lower City of Pergamon.
Roman period, 3rd century AD. The entire mosaic measures 4.20 x 4.45 metres.

Following the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912, Italy took possession of the Dodecanese islands from the Ottoman Turks (see also History of Kastellorizo). On 23 April 1933 the second largest island Kos was devastated by an earthquake which flattened the main town. During the clearing and rebuilding, the level of the ancient city of Kos was discovered and subsequently excavated by Italian archaeologists. [1] The finds among the extensive ruins included several mosaics from the Hellenistic, Roman and early Christian periods, many of fine quality and well preserved, with a wide range of figurative and abstract or geometric designs.

Most of the mosaics can still be seen in Kos, but several where taken to the main island Rhodes. They were set into the floors of the Medieval Palace of the Grand Master of the crusading knights of the Order of Saint John, in the Old Town of Rhodes, which the Italians restored 1937-1940.

Over two the centuries of the knights' rule on Rhodes and neighbouring islands (1309-1522), they constructed several impressive defensive and representative buildings on a grand scale, the palace being the largest and most impressive single example, another being the nearby hospital, built around 1440-1489, now the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.

The Gorgon's head is shown in the manner typical of the Roman era, with the tails of two snakes tied in a Herakles knot on her throat. The snake's bodies writhe around the sides of her winged head, and their heads appear above, facing each other. Unusually, they have "horns" and "beards" in the Egyptian manner (see Medusa part 3). Medusa's round face is quite human, feminine and pretty, and she appears to be looking up.

The x-shaped backgound has a pattern of grey scales, probably representing the aegis (see Medusa part 6). The finely executed image has a black oval frame within a thinner black quadrilateral frame, surrounded by a large oblong mosaic area consisting of a black and white recurring pattern of intersecting circles.

The image has been dated stylistically to the 3rd century AD, although some scholars have suggested the 2nd century and even the 5th century (Volker Michael Strocka and Werner Jobst). [3]

1. Italian archaeology on Kos

See, for example:

2. Light and lighting in museums

This may not be the right place to comment on light and lighting in museums and galleries, but it is an important issue when discussing the exhibition of art of any kind. Having visited hundreds of museums, exhibitions and historical buildings, and having also been involved with exhibition design and organization, it is subject close to my heart. The quality of lighting in an exhibition space has a profound impact on a visitor's experience.

Many museums, particularly those in older older buildings, are dimly or badly lit. Lighting design in such old buildings is a difficult business, particularly where the appearance, material substance and atmosphere of interiors must be preserved. Redesigning and installing new lighting systems can be expensive, complicated and time-consuming: rooms or even entire galleries must be closed during the process.

3. Gorgon mosaic in Terrace House 2, Ephesus

See: David Parrish, Architectural function and decorative programs in the terrace houses in Ephesos, Topoi, volume 7/2, 1997, pages 579-633. At Persée.

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