Piazza Armerina

by Roger John Anthony Wilson and R.J.A. Wilson

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0292764723
• ISBN13: 9780292764729
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 124 Pages

Customer Reviews

Scholarly work about the Mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily

This short book gives an overview of the fascinating Roman Villa Romana di Casale near Piazza Armerina in Sicily. The Villa is thought to have been built for the Roman emperor Maxentius in the early 4th century. It is covered with tens of thousands of square feet of polychrome marble and glass mosaics. The mosaics are thought to have been created in situ by artisans imported from North Africa. The book details the stylistic similarities between some of the mosaics and mosaic found in Roman ruins of North Africa. Archaeologists have hypothesized that multiple masters were involved working with teams of assistants for many years to produce the many mosaics. It is thought that some of the subjects depicted were copies from other mosaics popular in late antiquity. Examples are given of identical or nearly identical works found elsewhere. Some archaeologists have theorized that there may have been a standard mosiacists style book that these ancient artists used for reference. The book contains many black and white photos of acceptable quality and details the history of the excavations. The book notes some interesting facts about the mosaics. There is evidence of repairs and patchwork of varying quality done to many of the mosaics. The mosaic had begun to deteriorate during the fifty years or so the house was in use before it was buried by landslides or civil upheaval. Some of the pictorial mosaics cover earlier geometric designs. The famous Ragazze in Bikini mosaic is one such The ruins were known since the 19th century but it was not until the middle of the last century that major excavations were done. In the 1960s plexiglass enclosures were built to protect against the elements. Steel catwalks were built raise dseveral feet above the ruins to allow visitors to see the mosaics without treading upon them. Highly recommended book with information that I have not found elsewhere.