Pictures images photos of the Roman mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale , Piazza Armerina , Sicily. Around 1160 a huge mud slide in the Morgantina hills near Piazza Armerina in central Sicily buried an abandoned Roman Villa and its associated buildings which became to be known as the Villa Romana del Casale. Fragments of exposed wall from the villa drew little attention until the 1950s when the Villa Romana del Casale was excavated to reveal 3,500 square meters of exquisite Roman mosaics perfectly preserved by the mud. These mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale are the largest area of Roman mosaics in situ in the world and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Villa Romana del Casale mosaics have been dated to the first quarter of the fourth century AD. The clothing and themes in the pictures point to it being owned by Emperor Maximinianus. The scale of the mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale is breathtaking. Animals are depicted from the 5 Roman African Diocese. Panthers from Mauritania, Antelopes from Numidia, Wild Horses from Tripolitana, the now extinct Berber Lion from Morocco and Wild Boar from Byzaena now Tunisia. The animals are loaded into ships to be transported to Rome for the games in the Colosseum. Two figures wearing traditional hats from the Pannonia Province Maximinianus came from stand watching the animals being put aboard a ship. Next to them is an Elephant which were reserved for the Emperors games in the Colosseum only. Next to the Elephant are the letters "MA" which stand for Maximinianus Augustus, lending more weight to this being the Emperor's Villa. The floor of every room is decorated with lavish mosaics each having a different theme. The exercise room of the Villa has a gigantic mosaic of the Circus Maximus in Rome complete with racing chariots. Children's rooms have mosaics of children chariot racing at a miniature Circus Maximus. Mosaics in other rooms depict musician or mythical figures and the extent of the Empires influence is celebrated with depictions of people from as far away as India. One of the most surprising mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale for modern viewers is nicknamed the Bikini Girls. This shows 10 young women in bikini style tops and bottoms . They appear to be in competition with each other as one of them, presumably the winner, is about to be crowned with a laurel crown.

USEFUL LINKS:
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Romana_del_Casale
Roman Mosiacs Photo Collection https://funkystock.photoshelter.com/gallery/Roman-Mosaics-Roman-Mosaic-Pictures-Photos-and-Images-Fotos/G00008dLtP71H_yc/C0000q_tZnliJD08

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