Restoration work on the Alexander Mosaic

[Duncan Head]

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/60419

[Jim Webster]

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/60419

Embarrassingly I've always been so focussed on the detail I never noticed there was a chuffing tree in the middle of it

[Baldie]

For me it's the horses arse under Darius, that must be on purpose as it is such an odd angle.

[Imperial Dave]

For me it's the horses arse under Darius, that must be on purpose as it is such an odd angle.

[Erpingham]

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/60419

Embarrassingly I've always been so focussed on the detail I never noticed there was a chuffing tree in the middle of it

I seem to recall in an earlier discussion Patrick drawing attention to a theory that the tree is significant in identifying which battle it depicts.

[Chuck the Grey]

I have a copy of Paolo Moreno's books Apelles The Alexander Mosaic which has a series of 22 color plates highlighting various parts of the mosaic in detail including a two page layout of the entire mosaic.

Plate II shows the upper body of Alexander and the tree is a center piece. Moreno believes that the battle depicted is not Issus but Gaugamela the tree not withstanding.

Plate XV shows Darius and the look of horror or terror on his face as he looks back at Alexander. This is in contrast to the look of grim determination on Darius' charioteer to get his king to safety. It's my favorite section of the mosaic.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the restored mosaic looks like although I'm not expecting any great revelations.

[Duncan Head]

Moreno believes that the battle depicted is not Issus but Gaugamela the tree not withstanding.

A while since I read Moreno, but isn't it because of the tree? The "dry tree" which allegedly stood on the site of Alexander's battle with Darius was supposedly in Iran somewhere - isn't it Moreno who argues that this can be reconciled with Gaugamela but not Issus?

[Chuck the Grey]

Moreno believes that the battle depicted is not Issus but Gaugamela the tree not withstanding.

A while since I read Moreno, but isn't it because of the tree? The "dry tree" which allegedly stood on the site of Alexander's battle with Darius was supposedly in Iran somewhere - isn't it Moreno who argues that this can be reconciled with Gaugamela but not Issus?

I believe you're correct on Moreno and the tree. Like you, I haven't read Moreno recently and just remembered his belief in Gaugamela rather than Issus. For my part, I felt that the action depicted in the mosaic was more invocative of Gaugamela since Alexander's attack appears to have gotten closer to Darius there than at Issus. Admittedly, the mosaic, and the original, are a bit of propaganda, but that's my impression.

P.S. I also think that if you're going to produce a bit propaganda art, you would select a scene from Alexander's greatest victory, Gaugamela.

[RichT]

There's a Frank Holt article on the tree on academia.edu

tl;dr - nobody knows what the tree represents - perhaps (Holt suggests) Alexander striking down Darius (and the Persian Empire) as lightning strikes down a tree.

Marco Polo referred to "a very large flat province where there is a solitary tree, which Christians call the dead tree. And the people of the place say that the battle between Alexander and Darius took place here". But this is in Iran where no battle took place (but Darius was killed) so the possible symbolism of the tree isn't related to a real battle.

As usual my view is that trying to extract tactical information from a piece of art is a mug's game, but if I had to place a bet it would be that the battle is Gaugamela and the tree is artistic or symbolic, not necessarily representing a real tree.

[Jim Webster]

Actually, on a flat plain, having your command post under the only tree for miles would make it easier to find you, it could well be taller than your banner

[RichT]

having your command post under the only tree for miles would make it easier to find you

In Darius' case I think that would be a bug, not a feature...

[Jim Webster]

having your command post under the only tree for miles would make it easier to find you

In Darius' case I think that would be a bug, not a feature...

[Imperial Dave]

sarissa magnet...