Archaeologists have made a stunning discovery in Devon, unearthing a rare mosaic floor within a 4th-century Roman villa. The find is part of the Saving Halberton’s Ancient Roman Environment (SHARE) project, led by teams at the University of Exeter and Cotswold Archaeology.

The Discovery

The mosaic, formed of thousands of red, white, and dark blue stone cubes, features a stylized flower pattern at its heart with eight overlapping teardrop-shaped petals. The interlaced squares also form a common Roman pattern of a pair of knotted lines.

Project lead Dr. Susan Greaney, of the University of Exeter’s Department of Archaeology and History, said: “At the outset, we knew this villa, and its surrounding working areas, was an important site for understanding the ‘Romanization’ of Devon. But from day one, it has offered us a wealth of interesting and sometimes surprising finds in addition to this striking polychrome mosaic.”

Significance of the Find

The discovery has led experts to believe the villa belonged to people of wealth and status. Bill Horner, county archaeologist and historic environment manager at Devon County Council, said: “The polychrome mosaic is the most westerly example to have been found in a villa in Roman Britain. This, and the other trappings of Roman civilization and evidence of affluence that have been found, show how much even this far-flung part of the province had been integrated into the Roman Empire.”

Specialists are now carefully lifting the mosaic so that it can be put on display at Tiverton Museum of Mid-Devon Life, along with the other Roman artifacts found during the dig.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.