by While excavating a villa used by ancient Roman emperors in Italy, archaeologists discovered something unexpected: two mosaics depicting the Greek mythological figure Medusa, whose hair was made of serpents and whose gaze was believed to transform stone people.
The team found the mosaics in a circular room in the Villa des Antonines, so called because it was used by members of the Antonine dynasty who ruled the Roman Empire from 138 to 193 AD. The mosaics likely date to the 2nd century AD, the researchers said during a presentation at the Archaeological Institute of America’s annual meeting, held in New Orleans in January.
In both mosaics, Medusa gazes into the distance, perhaps leaving viewers wondering, “What are these ladies thinking?” Timothy Renner (opens in a new tab)professor of classics and general humanities at Montclair State University in New Jersey and co-director of the team excavating the site, said during the presentation.
The team found the Medusa mosaics in two niches cut into a circular room in the villa – one in the northwest part of the room and another in the southeast part. The room had two other niches, but no mosaic remains were found there.
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It is still a mystery what this room was used for and why it contained mosaics of Medusa. However, it “certainly must have been pretty awesome to walk into the room”, Deborah Chatr Aryamontri (opens in a new tab)associate professor of classics and general humanities at Montclair State University and co-leader of the team, said in an interview with Live Science, noting that the piece is about 21 meters in diameter.
“Find these mosaics [was] a pleasant surprise,” Chatr Aryamontri said, noting that many of the villa’s most impressive decorations were removed during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the second century, Medusa heads were popular decorative features in the Roman world, the researchers said. It is uncertain whether the owners of the villa commissioned them specifically or whether they were created on the whim of the artist who worked on the piece.
The Antonine dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between the reigns of Emperors Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161 AD) and Commodus (reigned 177-192 AD) The villa is huge and even has what appears to have been an amphitheater used by Emperor Commodus for practical gladiator and slaying of wild beasts. (Commodus sometimes took part in gladiator fights.)
The circular room appears to be in an area where people resided in the villa. One possibility is that it was a reception hall. Chatr Aryamontri and Renner told Live Science it’s uncertain and they don’t even know if the circular room has a roof.
Site disruption
A challenge for modern archaeologists is that there is a large amount of damage and disturbance at the site. In the past, the area where the villa is located in Italy was looted and used for dumping. Additionally, during World War II, the site was in a strategic location which saw considerable troop movement. “We actually find World War II artifacts” during the excavation of the villa, Chatr Aryamontri said.
A photograph of the area taken in the early 20th century shows concrete Roman walls that are above ground, but they have since suffered damage or are now destroyed, Renner said.
A small part of the circular hall with mosaics was first discovered in 2014, and excavations and analyzes have continued since then. The team hopes to one day help create an archaeological park on the site of the villa.
