Villa Rustica (Withington)
The Villa Rustica near Withington is a former Roman manor ( Villa rustica ) near Withington in what is now the county of Gloucestershire in England . It is west of the River Coln and about nine miles north of Corinium Dobunnorum (today's Cirencester ).
The remains of the villa were excavated from 1811 to 1812 by Henry Charles Brooke and Samuel Lysons , who also published the excavation results. The villa is particularly important for its numerous well-preserved mosaics . However, due to the early excavations, which mainly focused on the mosaics, it is not possible to create a complete plan. The villa probably had a portico on the south and north sides . The portico on the north side was divided into rooms at an uncertain time, which were then decorated with mosaics. On the east side of the villa there was a large (10.5 × 5.6 meters) room furnished with a figural mosaic. This was created when two rooms were merged in the fourth century. A large square field showed Orpheus and animals arranged around him. The central figure of Orpheus was already badly damaged when the mosaic was found. This part of the mosaic floor was once a separate mosaic. The subsequent parts of the mosaic were laid out later when this room was merged with the neighboring room. The quality of this part of the soil is below the Orpheus mosaic. This part of the mosaic floor shows four picture strips, three of them with figurative scenes. In the first field you can see the bust of Neptune or Oceanus . Marine animals swim around him. A second badly damaged field probably showed a hunt and the third field showed marine animals. The fourth field is decorated purely geometrically. Large parts of the mosaic are now in the British Museum in London , a single fragment is in the Bristol City Museum . All other mosaics in the villa are decorated with geometric patterns and were filled in again after the excavations. The mosaics and the villa date to the fourth century.
literature
- Stephen R. Cosh, David S. Neal: Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume IV, Western Britain , The Society of Antiquaries of London, London 2010, ISBN 978-0-85431-294-8 , pp. 202-211.
Coordinates: 51 ° 49 ′ 56.6 " N , 1 ° 57 ′ 22.3" W.