Roman mosaic floor fragment from a luxury house in Corinth

National Archeological Museum, Athens, Greece

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Material: Stone tesserae and glass tesserae
Date range: End of the 2nd century AD – early 3rd century AD
Origin: Anaploga (modern village of Hagioi Anargyroi), about 700 metres west of the Forum of Ancient Corinth, Greece

This fragment is part of a larger mosaic floor that once adorned the dining room of a wealthy Roman house, measuring about 5 by 9 metres in its original full form. The repeating pattern seen here is a continuous band of rinceaux — interlocking curved stems forming oval leaf shapes — which ran around the outer edge of the room's central decorated panels.

The central panels of the original floor, now lost, contained depictions of birds and fruit enclosed within an elaborate meander border designed to create a three-dimensional effect. An outer border of interlocked circles marked the positions of the dining couches, with space for approximately nine guests — a typical arrangement for a formal Roman banquet room.

The mosaic is noted for its unusually extensive use of glass tesserae alongside the more common stone ones, which would have given it a rich, jewel-like appearance when lit by lamplight during evening dining. It was excavated in 1962 and restored by the Greek Service of Antiquities before being mounted for display.

Museum label reference: Mosaic Floor. End 2nd – early 3rd c. A.D. Mounted here are the few preserved portions of a remarkable mosaic discovered in the district of Anaploga (modern village of Hagioi Anargyroi), some 700 metres west of the Forum of Ancient Corinth. This floor adorned the dining room of a luxurious Roman house and was laid down in the 2nd or early 3rd century of our era. Excavated in 1962 by the American School of Classical Studies. A598.

Original Text: ΨΗΦΙΔΩΤΟ ΔΑΠΕΔΟ — Τέλος 2ου – αρχές 3ου αιώνα μ.Χ. (Translation: Mosaic Floor — End of the 2nd – early 3rd century AD.)

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Ancient Roman mosaic floor fragment with interlocked leaf-circle pattern from a dining room in Anaploga, Corinth, 2nd-3rd century AD

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Source:  Athens, Greece