What is the Villa Romana del Casale?
What is the Villa Romana del Casale?
Roman exploitation of the countryside is symbolized by the Villa Romana del Casale (in Sicily), the centre of the large estate upon which the rural economy of the Western Empire was based. The villa is one of the most luxurious of its kind.
Who owned the villa Casale?
The mosaic and opus sectile floors cover some 3,500 sq metres and are almost unique in their excellent state of preservation due to the landslide and floods that covered the remains….Villa Romana del Casale.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Cultures | Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Paolo Orsi, Giuseppe Cultrera, Gino Vinicio Gentili, Andrea Carandini |
| Ownership | Public |
How old is Villa Romana del Casale?
History of Villa Romana del Casale Built in the 4th century AD, the villa replaced a smaller rustic residence from the 3rd century. Historians believe that a member of the Roman provincial aristocracy, possibly a governor, owned the villa at this time.
Where are the mosaics in Sicily?
Piazza Armerina
Located right in the heart of Sicily, Piazza Armerina boasts one of the largest and richest historical centers in Sicily.
Where was the Villa Romana del Casale located?
Villa Romana del Casale. The Villa Romana del Casale ( Sicilian: Villa Rumana dû Casali) is a large and elaborate Roman villa or palace located about 3 km from the town of Piazza Armerina, Sicily. Excavations have revealed one of the richest, largest, and varied collections of Roman mosaics in the world,…
Why is the Villa Romana in Piazza Armerina important?
The Villa Romana del Casale (trans. Roman Country Villa) in Piazza Armerina is considered to be one of the most important exemplars of an official governmental residence, attributed to the elaboration and exceptional beauty of its architectonic and decorative elements.
What kind of flooring was in Villa Romana del Casale?
An exceptionally elaborate polychrome opus sectile floor consisting of marbles coming from all over the Mediterranean lies at the entrance and is the richest decoration in the villa; it also covered the walls. This type of marble, rather than mosaic, constituted the material of greatest prestige in the Roman world.
What was the name of the Roman villa in Sicily?
In late antiquity the Romans partitioned most of the Sicilian hinterland into huge agricultural estates called “latifundia”. The villa’s latifundium is cited in the Itinerarium Antonini and is known as the Filosofiana.
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