Determination of the Type and Origin of Stone Tesseras Used in Antiochian Mosaics, Museum Hotel Example

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

(Museum Hotel) mosaics in Hatay province. Archaeometric analysis was performed on 60 tessera samples belonging to 6 different mosaics. In the scope of the study, color analysis, P-XRF and petrographic thin section optical microscopy analysis were performed on tessera samples. As a result of the analyzes, the color components of the tesserae were documented. According to the results of P-XRF analysis; main, artifact, transition and presence of rare earth elements were determined. At the same time, because the majority of tessera is composed of limestone, it is determined that there are high Ca elements in their structures and these results support the results obtained by petrography analysis. According to petrography analysis; the majority of the tessera are limestone, siltstone, clay stone and radiolarite rock species and just one rock type is not determined. It is concluded that these rock types are found in Antakya and surrounding of the region. When the tissue characteristics of tesserae samples were evaluated, it was seen that the tesserae belonging to the limestone species had micritic and sparitic texture and the other rock types had crystalline and clastic texture. When the hardness levels of tesserae samples were examined, it was found that the hardest tesserae was tesserae of the radiolith rock type (4,5- 5 mohs) and the others were generally (2- 3 mohs).