Unraveling The Interplay Between Inscriptions and Images: The Cosmological Mosaic of Mérida

The cosmological mosaic in Mérida is a complex and unique pictorial creation. Due to the remarkable quality and the intricate depicted cosmological scene, the mosaic has often been the focus of research. In this paper, attention is drawn to the fact that the factors iconography and inscriptions are not always as congruous as they usually are. As a result, different associations are triggered in the recipient, which make the respective figures more multifaceted. Consequently, however, the identification and interpretation of the figures becomes more demanding. Different modes of combining iconography and writing can be observed on the cosmological mosaic. This shall be demonstrated exemplarily with the aid of the figures Saeculum, Caelum, Chaos and Polum. Those personifications serve as a case study, since they show four different strategies of combining images and writing. It can be illustrated how variable the relationship of the iconography and inscriptions was staged and how specific intended statements were conveyed by this.