UNDERSTANDING EARLY ISLAMIC MOSAIC PRODUCTION: ARCHAEOMETRIC STUDY OF MATERIAL FROM QASR MUSHATTA

Abstract

The discovery of mosaic tesserae at Qasr Mushatta (near Amman) in the absence of any complete mosaics raises a number of questions about the reason for how they got there and what do they tell us. Samples of mosaic stone tesserae and mortar were collected from the site and studied for this reason. Petrographic and Scanning Electron Microscope analysis for the tesserae indicate a local provenance for the stone. Mortar composition shows variation in the preparation techniques, and helps in matching the mortar traces found on the tesserae to wall mortar. The study shows that Mushatta Umayyad place was intended to be decorated with wall mosaics, pro- duced most probably with local mosaicists using local materials.