ABSTRACT
In1997afifteen-yearrescue,restorationandconservationproject(198397)ontheperistylemosaicpavementoftheGreatPalaceinConstantinoplewascompleted.lSixtyyearsafteritsdiscovery,thisworkhasatlast establishedanarchaeologicalbasisfordatingthemosaic:therestorers locateitinthereignofJustinian,andsuggestthatitformedpartofhis greatrebuildingprogrammeinthecapitalfollowingthedestructivefires oftheNikaRiot(AD532).2Itsimportanceandinterestremainundis-
1OrganizedjointlybytheAustrianAcademyofSciencesandtheDirectorateGeneralof MonumentsandMuseumsinTurkey.Apreliminaryreportappearedin1992:W.Jobstand HermannVetters,eds,MosaikenforschungimKaiserpalastvanKonstantinopel,Osterreichische AkademiederWissenschaften,philosophisch-historischeKlasse,Denkschriften,228Band (Vienna,1992).illustratedupdatesfor1993-95:Anzeigederphil.-hist.KlassederOsterreichischen AkademiederWissenschaften131(1994),43-51;132(1995),29--49;133(1996),11-27.Seefurther W.Jobst,'ArchaologieundDenkmalpflegeimBereichdes"GrossenPalastes"von Konstantinopel',inA.IacobiniandE.Zanini,eds,ArteprofanaeartesacraaBisanzio(Rome, 1995),227-36;W.Jobst,B.ErdalandC.Gurtner,Istanbul.TheGreatPalaceMosaic.Thestoryof itsexploration,preservationandexhibition,1983-1997(Istanbul,1997)[textinTurkish,German andEnglish;manyillustrations].
