# Reconstruction and Visualization of the Mosaic Floor of the Temple of Pitiunt Hillfort
## 3 Results and Discussions
### Apse
#### 3.3.4. Bordered Panel with Date Palm Connecting the Central Part of the Apse Mosaic to the Naos  
According to the plan of the mosaic floor made by [PERSON], the panel with the date palm was laid along the western edge of the podium. It was bordered by a pattern of geometric ornaments from the north and south. This pattern continued along the solea staircase and under the stylobates of the columns of Temple No. 3, which was built later. On the northern side, behind the stylos, the mosaic is missing up to the point where the apse joins the naos, and on the opposite side, in the southern aisle, another pattern can be seen. It is therefore logical to assume that this pattern was limited from the north and south to the lines of the colonnades of Temple No. 2. On the western side, it rests on the barrier between the apse and the naos, which can only be seen in the northern nave. The mosaics in the central nave and in the southern nave have not been preserved. Photographs 180 and 181 in the photo album of the expedition, published in Volume III of the monograph [3], portray what this pattern looked like. According to [PERSON] [12]: \"The composition with a palm tree was surrounded on three sides by a large area of mosaic with a design whose exact analogy we do not yet know. The wide interlacing stripes of this pattern form a grid in whose cells are placed circles and squares arranged in a chessboard pattern\". [PERSON] [7] and [PERSON] [8] describe the pattern as a red weave with white and black bands. Based on the above assumptions regarding the boundaries of the ornament and using its descriptions and photographs, this area was reconstructed (Figure 11). It is clear that this pattern, together with a border of hides and heart-shaped leaves, formed a distinct border between the apse and the naos, along which the altar barrier must have been. As stated earlier, [PERSON] in 1970 was unable to find close analogues of this design. In 2000, the early 6 th century temple of Kucuk Tavshan near Bodrum was excavated, whose rich floor mosaics were brought to light. A pattern very similar to the border of the panel at Pitiunt [40] was found in the southern aisle of the church. It shows the same circles interlaced with squares of similar thickness in a chequered pattern, additionally in red, white and black. Unlike the Pitiunt decoration, the local artisan has been able to make a knot where the squares and circles meet, whereas in Pitiunt the bands only intersect. The second difference is the use of small bird figures in a square, whereas in Pitiunt the squares and circles have small circles with a cross in the middle. Although Pitiunt's ornament is simpler, they are related by a certain common pattern used by both masters. Framing the panel with a palm tree completes the description of reconstructing the central part of the apse. We will now look at the southern and northern sections of the central platform. 3.3.5. Southern and Northern Lateral Bypass of the Platform  
During the construction of Temple No. 3, a significant part of the mosaic in the apse of Temple No. 2 was destroyed. The walls of the new central apse, the stylobates of the columns and the eastern walls of the side aisles destroyed the mosaic decoration of the old temple. Of the total area of the apse of 99 square meters, only 22% of the mosaics were preserved at the time of the excavations, whereas in the northern part of the lateral bypass of the platform, the mosaic covering survived by 47% and in the southern part by only 15%. Researchers note the lack of symmetry between northern and southern mosaics [10]. Rather, its entire composition is based on the principle of the balancing of the motif. Therefore, we will compare the sections of north and south of the central platform. Another feature of the mosaic of the side bypasses is that it is not parallel to the central axis of the temple. The mosaic is divided into separate elements by the use of borders. It is a type of patterned carpet, laid around the platform, following the contours of the apse.