Researchers Have Uncovered a Pristinely Preserved Ancient Roman Mosaic Under a Tangle of Vines in Northern Italy

Researchers near the Italian city of Verona have discovered an
almost perfectly preserved ancient Roman mosaic floor, dating to
the third century AD.

The find, first reported by the BBC, came after “decades of
failed attempts,” according to the Facebook page of the town where
it was discovered, Negrar di Valpolicella. Teams of archaeologists
had been looking for remains of the Roman villa after it was
initially unearthed in 1922, but their attempts had yielded few
results until now.

The town’s mayor told the newspaper L’Arena that
“we believe a cultural site of this value deserves attention and
should be enhanced,” echoing the sentiments of the researchers who
describe the mosaic tiles as “an archaeological treasure.”

In the summer of 2019, a team of researchers from the
Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape of Verona
began digging on the site, and conducted subsequent digs in October
and February, when the project was halted due to the impending
threat of the coronavirus. But when Italy began to reopen, work
resumed, and the mosaic was revealed under a tangle of vines.

Images posted to Negrar di Valpolicella’s Facebook page reveal
narrow trenches in the ground, under which the mosaic foundation is
clearly visible. Though only partial areas of the design can be
seen, repeating patterns of geometric shapes in burnt red, green,
and black are among them.

Officials say that more research is needed, as well as
“significant resources.” But they say they will liaise with the
property owners to make the mosaic accessible to the public.

The post Researchers Have Uncovered a Pristinely Preserved
Ancient Roman Mosaic Under a Tangle of Vines in Northern Italy
appeared first on artnet News.