Scientists have found a 2,000-year-old mosaic at Villa Beaulieu that reminds them of the evil owner they want to erase from history.
Artnews says scientists found the mosaic under a layer of restoration and repair commissioned by Emperor Octavian Augustus (63 BC – 14 AD). This mosaic is designed as a carpet of small white ceramic pieces surrounded by a double black border.
“The style of this hall appears to date back to the late Roman Empire, and above all to the reign of Augustus,” said Marco Giglio, head of the research team.
The villa with mosaics dates back to Publius Vedius Poliono and was built in Greek style in the 1st century BC. The villa for two thousand people was used for theater and music competitions.
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Armando Mancini
Villa Beaulieu
Beaulieu was the son of a liberal. He loves luxury and is considered very cruel, especially to slaves. For example, because a plate of crystal glass was broken while dining with Emperor Augustus, the slave who broke it was ordered to throw it to the snakes. And when this slave began to fall on his knees and beg for mercy from the Emperor Augustus, the emperor ordered that he be released and that Publius Phidius should break all the crystal vessels.
Beaulieu died in 15 BC. He bequeathed his property to Augustus, ordered a monument to be erected for him. The emperor built a row of pillars and dedicated it to his wife. The structure is known as Riwaq of Libya. According to Artnews, the act is a kind of curse memoriae, a kind of posthumous punishment, an attempt to erase someone’s memory from history.
Source: Novosti
Source: Arabic RT
