# Reconstruction and Visualization of the Mosaic Floor of the Temple of Pitiunt Hillfort
###### Abstract  
The 3D reconstruction of the Great Pitiunt Fortress has been our long-term goal. The results of archaeological excavations have revealed traces of a mosaic floor in one of the temples. It was impossible to carry out a full reconstruction of the temple without first restoring the mosaic floor. The area of the preserved mosaic found during the excavations was only 33 square meters. This is 10.5% of the total interior area of the temple of 317 square meters. However, based on a number of reasons, i.e., the direction of the dividing borders between the elements of the mosaic, the requirement of symmetry of individual sections, the adjustment of motifs and the analysis of similar contemporaneous sites, it was possible to make a version of the general view of the reconstructed mosaic floor for further processing in the 3D reconstruction of the temples of the complex. This article provides the methods described, an analysis and justification of the reconstructed design of the mosaic in fragments and a holistic final model. The stylistic features of the mosaic have been identified, and the reasons for the dating of the mosaic have been given.  
Roman Empire; Black Sea regions; Roman Fortress of Great Pitiunt; Christian architecture; reconstruction; mosaic; visualize +
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the materials from these studies [4]. Within the framework of this work, the exterior of the Temples No. 1 and 3 was reconstructed (Figures 13 and 14 of Ref. [4]) without significant details, since studying the characteristics of the early Christian architecture of the 4 th-6 th centuries significantly exceeded the scope of this study. It was therefore decided to carry out detailed external and internal reconstructions of Temples 1-4 separately. An important and integral part of this work is to reconstruct the floor mosaic of Temple 2.  
On the territory of the Eastern Black Sea region, floor mosaics have been found only at a few sites located along the coast: the temple of the \"Southern Cultures\" (Sochi, the Adler district), Temple No. 2 of Pitiunt (Pitunda, Republic of Abkhazia), the Temple of 2001 on the territory of the fortress of Sebastopolis (Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia) and a bathhouse of a Roman villa in the village of Bobokvati, not far from Ancient Petra (a modern village of Tsikhizdziri, Georgia). Moreover, the Sebastopolis and Bobokvati mosaics were made using the Opus Sectile technique, i.e., with large shaped terracotta and marble elements [5], whereas the mosaic technique in the Southern Cultures temple remained unknown due to its destruction in the 1950s of the 20 th century [6], and only in Pitiunt was Opus Tesselatum mosaic documented. This, together with the fact that Temple No. 2 is one of the oldest on the eastern Black Sea coast, makes it very unique and significant.  
Under the direction of the chief architect of the Bichvint archaeological expedition, [PERSON] [7], the members of the expedition, [PERSON] [8; 9], [PERSON] [10] and [PERSON] [11] studied the mosaic of Temple No. 2 during the excavations. Later, on the basis of the expedition materials, the mosaic was the subject of studies by [PERSON] [12] and [PERSON] [13]. Although accurate, it is important to note that they were all completed in the \"pre-Internet\" era and lack full reconstruction and visualization. In this respect, within the framework of this work, the aim is to supplement these studies with new materials obtained in recent years by various specialists on mosaics of late antique and early Christian sites of the Roman Empire and to create a reconstruction with visualization, which today is an indispensable element in the promotion of cultural heritage.