A Great Find,

for culture vultures, 

all photos courtesy of the Italian Ministry of Culture / AFP Photo, the find was a 2,100 year mosaic which was made in Rome at the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, as well as the Colosseum itself, the area consists of the Roman Forum, an aristocratic residential area on the Palatine hill, and Emperor Nero’s splendid Domus Aurea, built in the first century C.E. as it happens we visited this area in July 2016,

some details of the mosaic, A column in between two depictions of aedicules, or shrines,

detail from the top of a column, 

as well as glass, white marble, and Egyptian blue tiles,

shells were also used to decorate the panel, in the late Republican era, a luxurious townhouse in the neighbourhood had the mosaic made, at that time mosaics like this one represented a example of luxury and wealth, the mosaic walls were initially discovered in 2018, but excavations are expected to continue into this year. The park’s director Alfonsina Russo says that once the domus is fully uncovered, the team “will work intensely to make this place, among the most evocative of ancient Rome, accessible to the public as soon as possible.” one has to wonder what other treasures like this lay buried literally under our feet as you walk around monuments like the Colosseum, for the full story have a look here.