Text, Mosaic floor with gorgon head

Mosaic floor. Technique: opus tessellatum. Found in Zea, Piraeus. Represented in the central medallion is a Gorgon's head with wings and snakes on her hair. The medallion is encircled by a radial ornament consisted of rows of triangles arranged in a whirl. The motif, reminiscent of a shield's decoration, serves as evil averter. Ivy leaves decorate the corners of the mosaic and a guilloche pattern surrounds the whole composition. 2nd century AD.