The Largest Ancient Roman Wall Mosaic Ever Found Goes on Public View

What may be the largest ancient Roman wall mosaic ever found has been open to the public for limited viewing. Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, unveiled the 1st-century CE mosaic, along with a fresco discovered at the same time, in the city this week.

The artworks were first identified during excavations in the 1990s at the Baths of Trajan, located on Oppio Hill near the Colosseum, but never fully uncovered until now. Dedicated by Roman emperor Trajan in 109 CE, the baths were an enormous leisure complex that extended over 15 acres and featured areas for cultural activities and sports as well as bathing pools.

Occupying an underground gallery beneath the baths, the mosaic measures 33 feet high and over 50 feet across. In its original state it may have been even bigger; its uppermost section was cut off when the Baths of Trajan were built, while its base has yet to be fully excavated.

The work’s top levels depict human and mythological figures arranged between rows of columns; below them is a detailed rendering of a port city. Researchers are not sure whether it is a city that existed at the time or an idealized town.

“Either way,” Francesco Pacetti, an archaeologist involved in the excavation, said in a statement, “it has been painted in great detail. You see the stone walls and a main gate with two towers and a glimpse of a temple.”

Elsewhere in the chamber archaeologists found a fresco showing a bird’s-eye view of another Roman town with a theater, a temple, and residences. It is believed that the artworks adorned either a domus—a private home belonging to a wealthy Roman family—or the Domus Aurea, a palace built by the Roman emperor Nero and covered over after his death.

Beginning this month, the mosaic and the fresco will be available for public viewing, initially to small groups of 15 people. The fragile artworks will be monitored during this trial period to see if they can withstand greater crowds.