Roman mosaic with geometric pelta pattern, England, Hampshire, c.360 AD
Stone and terracotta tesserae
Height: 125cm, length: 442cm
11668 EL
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Mosaic composed of tesserae from red brick and local black and white stone, forming a pelta pattern with cross points. The simple rectangular panels have a white matrix and are...
Mosaic composed of tesserae from red brick and local black and white stone, forming a pelta pattern with cross points. The simple rectangular panels have a white matrix and are covered in the geometric design, a black border to the top and bottom; one section is slightly wider than the other, suggesting they were from two separate areas of the corridor from which they came.
When Britain was part of the Roman Empire, from mid 1st-early 5th century AD, lavish villas and vast farming estates were dotted all over the land, particularly in southern England. An area of particular growth and prosperity appears at Roman crossroads in East Anton, on the north-eastern side of Andover, situated on the chalk downs and perfect for the growing of cereals. The Roman villa at Fullerton was built on a river that made it an ideal site for a mill to process the crops.
There is evidence of a very successful business here, and some time around the year 360 AD the owners built a luxurious villa facing the river. They decorated the walls with brightly coloured frescos and the floors with colourful mosaics. Most of these had geometric patterns, with the main room being dominated by the Mars mosaic that now resides in Andover museum.
At the time the mosaic was being created, Rome’s influence in Britain was nearing its end. In just twenty years, c.380 AD, the mill appears to have stopped working and within a few decades the site was abandoned.
The Roman Villa had an Iron Age predecessor, in the form of an enclosure. Small ‘Celtic Fields’ have been found all over the area.
The original location of the site has been excavated three times since its initial discovery. First when the floor was lifted in 1872, then again in the 1960s and finally in 2000 and 2001 by Barry Cunliffe as part of the Danebury Envrions Roman Program.
When Britain was part of the Roman Empire, from mid 1st-early 5th century AD, lavish villas and vast farming estates were dotted all over the land, particularly in southern England. An area of particular growth and prosperity appears at Roman crossroads in East Anton, on the north-eastern side of Andover, situated on the chalk downs and perfect for the growing of cereals. The Roman villa at Fullerton was built on a river that made it an ideal site for a mill to process the crops.
There is evidence of a very successful business here, and some time around the year 360 AD the owners built a luxurious villa facing the river. They decorated the walls with brightly coloured frescos and the floors with colourful mosaics. Most of these had geometric patterns, with the main room being dominated by the Mars mosaic that now resides in Andover museum.
At the time the mosaic was being created, Rome’s influence in Britain was nearing its end. In just twenty years, c.380 AD, the mill appears to have stopped working and within a few decades the site was abandoned.
The Roman Villa had an Iron Age predecessor, in the form of an enclosure. Small ‘Celtic Fields’ have been found all over the area.
The original location of the site has been excavated three times since its initial discovery. First when the floor was lifted in 1872, then again in the 1960s and finally in 2000 and 2001 by Barry Cunliffe as part of the Danebury Envrions Roman Program.
Provenance
Sir William Cory (14th August 1857-17th May 1933); discovered in a field on his estate, Fullerton, Hampshire, UK, in 1872 and installed in Fullerton Manor when it was built in 1906Private collection Fullerton, UK; removed from the Manor in 2023
Literature
A large mosaic showing Mars, from the same villa, is now in Andover Museum, UK. An information board there shows the original layout of the mosaics within the villa.For another example of this pelta design from Scampton villa, Lincolnshire, UK and Hinton St Mary mosaic, Dorset UK, see Anthony Beeson, Mosaics in Roman Britain (Stroud, 2022), p.54 and p.69
Publications
A watercolour by Dr David S Neal made in 1964 is now in the British Museum, London, UK, Registration number 1992,0602.31, published in D.S. Neal and S.R. Cosh, Roman Mosaics of Britain, Vol.III, South-East Britain (London, 2009), fig.125, p.177Anne Rainey, Mosaics in Roman Britain (Bath, 1973), pp.79-80, SU 3740 f
