(Rome) Italy's Culture Ministry announced Tuesday the discovery of a luxurious Roman “domus” that is more than 2,000 years old and contains an “incomparable” mosaic of shells, glass fragments and marble.
Published at 8:55 am.
This “Domus”, a villa built by the wealthy Romans, is located in the heart of the Colosseum Archaeological Park and is an “authentic treasure”, as quoted by Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano in a press release.
The domus extends over several floors “and what makes the discovery extraordinary is the existence of an extraordinary wall mosaic.” […] “Incomparable due to the complexity of the scenes staged,” emphasizes the press release.
In the mosaic, three large ships ride waves toward a coastal city whose walls are dotted with small towers and colonnades – a scene that suggests the owner of the domus was victorious in battle.
The Domus was excavated in 2018 by archaeologists who discovered a series of walls, and has several floors.
Only a few pieces have been explored so far and excavations will continue until 2024.
The main room, centered around an atrium, is a cavernous banquet hall that was used in the summer.
The owner, a nobleman, probably a senator, is also said to have created “spectacular water features” for his guests using lead pipes placed between the decorated walls.
The mosaic dates from the “last decades of the 2nd century BC”. AD » and it consists, among other things, of “various types of shells, Egyptian blue stones, valuable glass, small marble fragments or other types of stone”.
We can also see stacks of weapons with trumpets, warships and tridents in the Celtic style among the vines and lotus leaves, “perhaps an allusion to a double triumph, land and sea, of the owner of the Domus.”
There is “a fascinating representation” of a landscape with a coastal town and a cliff recreated in travertine overlooking “the sea, crossed by three large ships, one with hoisted sails,” the press release continues.
“We will work intensively to make this site, one of the most impressive of ancient Rome, accessible to the public as quickly as possible,” promised Alfonsina Russo, head of the Colosseum Archaeological Park.