A large relatively intact Roman mosaic has been discovered under a vineyard in northern Italy near the city of Verona.
The mosaic is believed to date from the 3rd century AD and was part of a villa complex previously excavated in 1922.
The site was left relatively abandoned until archaeologists from the Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Verona recommenced excavations almost a century later.
Mosaics were traditionally used as decoration for floors and walls becoming very popular across the Ancient Roman World. Traditional mosaics are made of cut small cubes of roughly square pieces of stone or handmade glass enamel of different colours, known as tesserae.
The team discovered the mosaic a few metres beneath the vineyard whilst excavating exploratory trenches to try and locate the Roman Villa. Archaeologists are hoping that the entirety of the mosaic floor is still intact, with the intention to carry on excavating with the support of the local authorities.
Header Image Credit : Municipality of Negrar di Valpolicella
