Villa Telaro: Late Roman Villa in Sicily

[gaiusseptimiuslucianus]

Caballo,

Thank you for posting about the villa, it has some really neat mosaics. I had seen the one with the crested helmet before but I hadn't realized there were those terrific hunt scenes. Here's a website for the site: http://www.villaromanadeltellaro.com/, a Wikipedia article (FWIW) here: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_del_Tellaro and more of the Hunt Mosaic: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Catego...unt_mosaic

Lucianus

[Alanus]

Interesting to see the horse's kit (as ever) with a mix of saddle cloths and one horned "saddle"....

Hello Moi,

Yes, the saddle on the lowest horse appears to be similar to a steppe saddle, ie cantles fore and aft instead of the four horns.

[Semisalis Abruna]

Thanks for the pics, Paul.

The picnic scene has useful items to copy for the Batavi popina display. I can just see the entertainment value of me setting the tent on fire using the samovar thingy!

[Caballo]

Thanks, Nick-I'll look forward to that!

Actually, the skills seem to have survived- when we went for a five day trek in the Atlas mountains, staying in Berber villages, our guides seemed to be able to conjure up a delicious tagine in the middle of nowhere, carrying some vegatables on the mules and picking up others (eg wild garlic) en route. A great holiday.

[Iagoba]

I have not been there, but I had some "spies" taking photos for me...I pointed to them before their travel to visit Piazza Armerina and Noto's villas :-D

They sold decent postcards, too (and even T-shirts). Taking photos to musivaria is very dificult and the colors are usually very faded. They look at its best wet, but that's not good for them.

About the flaming vessel, I suspect that it's a wine heater. But there are even more hundreds of details to be seen...

I love the 3D detail on the borders of the hunt scene.

Me too!

[Virilis]

This is mildly said interesting! Very long tunics on some pics (the reclining figures), decorative orbiculi at the low ends of the cloaks (or is it just a part of a very broad decorative band?), depiction of a spatha (interesting handle construction, like those metal covered ones found from the danish bogs?), semi-long legs on the trousers etc...

[markusaurelius]

depiction of a spatha (interesting handle construction, like those metal covered ones found from the danish bogs?)

That's exactly what came to mind for me when I saw that spatha.

[Crispvs]

I notice that the shield in the Achilles scene seems to feature the same bar that is shown on the shields on the the arch of Galerius.

Crispvs

[richard robinson]

My first thought that the hanging thing was a bees hive? :-)

regards
richard