Let me show you my mosaics!

 I was just going to call this 'Villa Romana de Casale', which is the name of the villa which we saw today, but the whole feel if this remarkable UNESCO site just made you imagine yourself into the minds of its powerful owners ( who were quite likely, according to experts, to have been Marcus Aurelius Maximianus and his wife. MA was  joint emperor of Rome in the 4th century and was not short of a denarii or two.)

Angie and I were quite bowled over by the mosaics, because there are so many of them, because they are in such good condition and because the best of them are so brilliantly rendered. Pics follow below.

The secret to the great condition is that the site was buried in ten feet of mud for 800 years because of a landslide, and only excavated in the 20th century. The secret to the site's extent is probably MA's wealth. The Villa complex covers over 3500 square metres, of which well over 1000 square metres is mosaic! Here are some you can even stand on:

But the real stars of the show are in the owner's private quarters and huge dining room, built to impress guests. There are these beautiful mythical stories:

And best of all, there is a huge mosaic 60 metres long, showing animals being captured in Africa to bring back to Rome. Here are two:

I love the one with the Ostrich tucked under his arm. 

The whole opulent scenario did make me think about the mentality of those who commissioned them. They were clearly intended to show power and reliability. "We go everywhere in the world to find these creatures to bring back to Rome. Resistance is futile. ". But with a large helping of moral superiority ("We have philosophers you know, if you'd prefer that to legionnaires"). But it fell, and the Vandals arrived, as they always do. 

Look on my works ye mighty, and despair.