Bignor is a village in West Sussex (England) about nine
miles northeast of the city of Chichester.
A remarkable discovery was made here during the early 19th
century when a farmer discovered a section of Roman mosaic flooring in one of
his fields. He could see that it was a picture of a girl who was dancing.
Excavations began in 1811 and eventually revealed the
foundations of an extensive Roman villa (country house) that would have been
occupied between the 2nd and 4th centuries.
Bignor Villa must have been owned by someone who was
particularly wealthy, because no expense had been spared on the floor mosaics
that were revealed. These are among the finest to have been found anywhere in
Britain, and include the example pictured here. This is the longest piece of Roman
mosaic on public display anywhere in in the country, being 25 metres (82 feet)
in length.
© John Welford
No comments:
Post a Comment