Archaeologists have unveiled what they call "the largest Roman wall mosaic" to the public, nearly 2,000 years after it was created. The massive artwork was found buried beneath the Oppian Hill near Rome's Colosseum.
The mosaic is more than 10 meters high and extends 16 meters along a wall, depicting life-size human figures between the columns, including a bearded philosopher, a centaur (a mythical creature whose body consists of a human upper part and a horse lower part), and a young poet receiving a laurel wreath.
Experts believe the artwork, which dates back to the first century AD, may have been part of a private home or the huge Domus Aurea palace built by Emperor Nero, which was later buried underground in 109 AD when Emperor Trajan chose the site to build a huge public bath.
Despite the mosaic's enormous size, researchers believe it is part of a larger structure that has not yet been fully explored, especially after finding, in a deeper layer beneath the mosaic, the remains of large marble slabs and a marble-decorated niche. These discoveries lead experts to believe that the original building was about 12 meters high, more than previously estimated.
The site is now open to the public for the first time, where visitors can descend to the site and view the mosaic, while above it appear the foundations of Trajan's Baths (a huge Roman public bath complex).
In addition to the mosaics, the underground structure houses another mural known as the "Painted City," depicting a coastal city with walls, towers, a theater, and statues. It is so detailed that even the windows of the houses are clearly visible. Scholars are still uncertain whether this city is real or imagined, but they affirm that its cost and precision indicate its great importance to the Romans.
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