Creative Commons Licensed Images of the Mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily, Italy
The Villa Romana del Casale is famous for the excellent condition of its mosaics (which were made ca. the late 200s CE – early 300s CE by North African artisans). Two mosaics interest us: ‘The Little Hunt’ (depicting a day of hunting for local game) & ‘The Great Hunt’ (a 60-meter, corridor-length mosaic depicting a hunt in Africa for exotic animals to transport back to Rome). In both mosaics, the diversity of the individuals depicted is notable. In this era, Sicily was a major hub for transporting grain & other valuable items from North Africa to Italy. The villa’s owner would have been an important aristocrat. In fact, the villa’s Tetrarchic military insignia suggest its owner could have been the Tetrarch governing Southern Italy, Sicily, & North Africa, either Maximian (late 200s CE) or his son Maxentius (early 300s CE). Maximian or Maxentius might appear in ‘The Great Hunt’ mosaic (below).
Citation: Photos courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): two rows of imagery above a central pavilion; two scenes flanking the central pavilion; one row of images beneath the central pavilion. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): two rows of imagery above a central pavilion; two scenes flanking the central pavilion; one row of images beneath the central pavilion. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): two rows of imagery above a central pavilion; two scenes flanking the central pavilion; one row of images beneath the central pavilion. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): detail, left & center of the second row from the top: men carry a boar (left); two men sacrifice to the goddess of the hunt, Diana (center). Note how diverse the individuals are. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): detail, upper right corner (in top row): a man and hunting dogs chase a fox. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ). This mosaic’s focal point, central red pavilion: five male diners (an important man – the villa’s owner? – is at the center). Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): detail, with the central diner on the right. The left diner sips wine; the right diner reaches towards a roasted bird. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): detail, closeup, lower right corner. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
‘The Little Hunt’ mosaic (in situ): detail, lower left corner. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019, at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An important individual (the villa’s owner?), as indicated by his age & Pannonian cap (a sign of high military rank), is protected by two soldiers as he oversees the ‘Great Hunt.’ Possibly Tetrarch Maximian or his son, Tetrarch Maxentius?
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor-mosaic. Men lead ostriches (?) up a plank onto a ship. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor-mosaic: detail of a man herding an ostrich (?) & men carrying an antelope(?) onto a ship. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor-mosaic. Sailors prepare the ship to carry captured animals to Rome. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor-mosaic: detail of sailors preparing the ship to carry captured animals to Rome. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor-mosaic. A group of men drag a bull onto the ship that will carry it to Rome. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor-mosaic. A man defends himself against a lion’s attack. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
An image from ‘The Great Hunt’ corridor-mosaic. Men tend to a cart for captured lions(?). Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch on Nov. 29, 2019 at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.
