Villa rustica (Rudston)
The Villa Rustica von Rudston is a Roman manor ( villa rustica ) on the parish of Rudston in the English county of Yorkshire .
The villa may have been discovered as early as 1839 when a mosaic was found in fields in this area . However, this discovery is not well documented, so there is a possibility that the mosaic was from another villa. In 1933 three mosaics were discovered and uncovered by a farmer. He built a hut for one of the mosaics that were found, which shows a Venus . The villa was systematically excavated in 1934 and 1935. A protective structure was built, but it was decided in 1957 to lift the mosaics and bring them to a museum, as they suffered greatly despite the protective structure. In 1962 the mosaics were moved to the Hull and East Riding Museum . On this occasion there were further excavations.
The complex of the villa consisted of various buildings, some of which were built as early as the 1st century AD. The main building, however, dates from the turn of the 3rd to 4th century AD. It is a simple building with a portico on the east side and a bath on the south. Three rooms were decorated with mosaics. In the bathroom there was a mosaic with marine animals. A mosaic in the living area is decorated with geometric patterns. Another mosaic shows the goddess Venus in the main field. This mosaic is one of the most famous mosaics from the Roman province of Britannia ( Britain ). Venus appears in the center, surrounded by animals in semicircles. Human figures appear in the fields between the middle field and the semicircles. The Venus in the midfield is naked. In her right hand she is holding a golden apple that she won in a beauty contest ( judgment of Paris ). A mirror is shown next to the left hand. In front of her you can see a mermaid.
The other buildings that belong to this house are mostly workshops or stables. Only one further building was certainly used for residential purposes and was equipped with three more mosaics. Two of them show geometric patterns. The third mosaic shows a chariot in the middle; arranged around it are four birds and four busts in the corners.
literature
- David S. Neal, Stephen R. Cosh: Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume I, Northern Britain, incorporating the Midlands and East Anglia , The Society of Antiquaries if London, London 2002, ISBN 0-953-78452-5 , p. 351 -362.
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 5 ′ 5.4 " N , 0 ° 20 ′ 9.8" W.