About this objectPart of a black-and-white mosaic consisting of tesserae mounted in alternating bands of black and white on a base of opus signinum. Coloured tesserae have been added to one side of the black, probably after acquisition, in a random pattern that does not match the original element of the floor. The black-and-white element is from the bathhouse of the Roman villa at Ninesprings (Purwell Mill), Great Wymondley. It is possible that the coloured tesserae were found during excavations there by Percival Westell, curator of Letchworth Museum, in 1921-2.
Only the rich could afford to have mosaic floors in their homes. Guests would have been impressed by this when their host invited them to share a sauna.
Date MadeAD 200-400
PeriodRoman (AD 43-411)
Medium and MaterialsCeramic | Building materials | Tesserae
Stone | Building materials | Tesserae
