The last piece of the puzzle: Withington Roman Villa mosaics, Corinium Museum

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 433

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For the first time in more than 200 years, colourful fragments of the ‘Orpheus’ mosaic excavated at Withington Roman Villa in 1812 have been reunited in a new display at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, thanks to long-term loans from the British Museum and Bristol Museums, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The villa was first discovered in 1811 during ploughing, and was excavated by H C Brooke and Samuel Lysons the following year, revealing a corridor style complex with rooms arranged on either side of a central passage. During their investigations, Brooke and Lysons uncovered eight mosaic floors, a hypocaust, and diverse artefacts including coins and pottery. Several of the mosaics were carefully lifted and placed in the care of the British Museum for conservation and deposition, as at the time there were no county museums in Gloucestershire. The most famous panel depicts a central figure identified as Orpheus, surrounded by a ring of wild animals (which, Greek legend attests, he was able to soothe by the power of his music). The fragments that have been newly installed at the Corinium include depictions of a big cat, a boar pursued by a hunting dog, birds, and a bear (shown here, not to scale; the bear fragment measures c.1m (3.2ft) long, while the boar fragment is 2.5m (8ft) across).

This kind of imagery was common across the Romano-British world in the late 3rd century AD, and the Withington example is just one of several Orpheus mosaics known in and around the Cotswolds, including at Woodchester, Newton St Loe, and Barton Farm. The mosaic from this last site can also be seen at the Corinium Museum.

Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Images: Bristol Museums and Trustees of the British Museum