A magnificent Roman villa complex like a castle with treasures such as a masterpiece mosaic, many ancient ceramics… was discovered by accident beneath a field.
According to Mr. Jim Irvine, he and his family went on a trip through a field in 2020 and discovered some strange ceramics hidden among the wheat. He returned to check the satellite image of the field and noticed a strange structure looming, looking like “someone used chalk to draw on the satellite image”.
A giant mosaic of extremely high value was found in the middle of the villa – Photo: University of Leicester
Archaeologists from the University of Leicester (UK) took over the area and since then, many magnificent structures of a 1,700-year-old Roman villa have been revealed, Sci-News said.
In the villa there are still many items that have become priceless antiques to this day. Among them, the most precious is a “unique” mosaic depicting the battle of Achilles and Hector after the Trojan War” in Hommer’s epic Illiad.
The rest of the painting, measuring 11×7 meters, is considered an unparalleled treasure. Mosaics are often made from many small pieces of colorful stone that are searched for and meticulously inlaid. With Roman mosaics, wealthy owners often used a lot of beautiful and expensive imported stones, with the purpose of showing off their power and wealth. After 1,700 years, this treasure becomes even more valuable.
Only part of the structure of the lavish villa complex has been excavated, but traces have been identified of a large barn with walkways, a giant circular bathhouse, and many surrounding trenches. around the villa…
What has been discovered is just the beginning. Archaeologists believe that the entire complex is very large and contains many interesting treasures.
