Not one, but two mosaics were discovered during excavations of the villa of ancient Roman emperors in Italy. And, surprisingly, they are decorated with the image of a mythical creature with snakes instead of hair – Gorgon Medusa.
Scientists have found this image in a round room in the Antonine villa, so named because it was used by members of the Antonine dynasty. This was the third Roman imperial dynasty from the beginning of the principate, which ruled from 96 to 192.
According to the researchers' preliminary conclusion, the mosaic is dated to the second century AD. The image was located in two niches carved in two rooms – one in the northwestern part of the room, and the other in the southeast.
According to one of the legends, Gorgon was originally a girl whose beauty no one could compete with. Poseidon fell in love with her and forcibly took possession of her right in the temple of Athena. For some reason, the gods were angry with the Gorgon, and not with Poseidon, turning her hair into snakes. At the same time, the face was made so terrible that only one look of the monster turned the beholder into stone.
A small part of the circular room with mosaics was first found in 2014, and excavations and analysis have continued since then. The team hopes to one day be able to create an archaeological museum site here.
Source: livescience.com
