Poster_A1_M_P 15. 9. 2013 20:25 Page 1
Marina De Franceschini – Branislav Lesak – Margareta Musilova
Floor decoration in the roman world: opus signinum pavements on the Celtic acropolis of the oppidum
in Bratislava (Slovakia) and in Italy
Foreword
In many roman buildings – where small parts of the walls are preserved – pavements
can still provide important information about their date and also their function and
meaning. Even if little evidence is left, pavements still give us a relative hierarchy between
the rooms: the ones with richer decoration were the most important – such as the
atrium, the triclinium or the tablinum in a roman house, compared to a simple corridor.
In roman buildings, the most ancient type of pavement was clay, after which the
Roman perfected the technique of opus signinum (also called cocciopesto), which was
made of small crushed fragments of bricks and lime, was imperishable and waterproof.
In early republican times, starting from the II century B.C., opus signinum pavements
were decorated with colored stones of irregular shape; later on, the stones became
squared or rectangular tesserae, used to draw decorative patterns as meander borders,
lozenges, rosettes and so on.
Starting from the I century B.C., mosaic pavements slowly replaced the opus signinum
ones, using at first the same basic patterns; but very soon drawings and colors multiplied
in an incredible variety of new designs. With the triumph of mosaics, opus signinum was
downgraded to a more rustic and utilitarian use, mainly where waterproofing was
needed, such as in cisterns, courtyards or on roofs. Since there was no reason to have
decorative patterns in such locations, tesserae and drawings disappeared.
Plan of Bratislava with the Roman type architecture on the Acropolis and Celtic ramparts with V−shaped ditch
and pincer gateway
Floor plan of the archaeological building site 7/2008 with pavement fragments marked „opus signinum”
Hypothetical reconstruction of the Roman pavement, based on the discovered fragments. After B. Lesák and I. Klas
Plan of the archaeological excavations (2008 – 2010)
The Castle Hill of Bratislava1, II−I century B.C.
Comparisons
In republican times – the ‘golden era’ of the opus signinum – a simple opus signinum
pavement was by itself an exception, and decorative patterns were used only in the
most important rooms or buildings.
This is the case of the pavement recently discovered in the Castle Hill of Bratislava2, in
a building located in the ancient oppidum of the town, whose prominent position shows
that it probably was the house of a member of the local Celtic élite.
The date of the pavement is II−I century B.C.
Similar opus signinum pavements, dating to the II−I or I centuries B.C. were found in Italy,
in ancient roman villas near Rome or in Pompeii, and were used in the most important
rooms of the buildings. They are the model that inspired the pavement found in Bratislava.
In its surviving atrium was discovered an opus signinum pavement, decorated with
white tesserae; the border has a double meander similar to the one of the Castle of
Bratislava, while the central field has lozenges (FIG. 8).
Ostia, Edificio a Peristilio3, II century B.C.
The building – of which very little is left – had a very rich opus signinum pavement,
decorated with colored stones (FIG. 1−2). The recent cleaning and restoration showed
that it had a border with a meander pattern outlined with blue tesserae (FIG. 3), while
the central field was decorated by rosettes (or crosses) made of a central red tessera
surrounded by four blue tesserae (FIG. 4).
This type of pavement and its decorative pattern was clearly imported from Rome,
but local materials were employed: no crushed bricks but small fragments of local yellow
dolomite and gray quarzite for the pavement; also the tesserae used for the decoration
were made with blue or red stones of local provenance.
Who was the owner of the building?
He could have been a Roman officer or a military, a member of the local Celtic élite,
or even a priest.
Why did they use a foreign and imported type of decoration?
Because it was a status symbol: something precious (luxury always was one of the sym−
bols of Power), something foreign, proving that the owner knew what was ‘fashionable’
in Rome and that he could afford to have it reproduced in this building. Whatever its use,
its rich decoration represented the essence of Power.
FIG. 1−2 – Opus signinum pavement in the Castle Hill of Bratislava (from BARTA−LESÁK−MUSILOVÁ−RESUTIK 2011)
FIG. 7 – Opus signinum pavement in
the roman villa of Procoio Nuovo, near
Rome (from DE FRANCESCHINI 2005)
FIG. 8 – Opus signinum pavement in the republican Villa within
Hadrian’s Villa of Tivoli, Rome (from DE FRANCESCHINI 1991)
The so called Edificio a Peristilio in Ostia, was built in the II century B.C. in opus incer−
tum, and had three rooms paved with opus signinum. Two of them had the same pattern
of small crosses made of four white tesserae around a central black one (FIG. 5). A frag−
ment is preserved in the Antiquarium of Ostia.
The Villa of Grottarossa, located at the fifth mile of the via Flaminia, near Rome, was
built in the II−I century B.C.
It had several opus signinum pavements decorated with white tesserae. In the most im−
portant rooms, such as the tablinum or the triclinium, the pavement has a meander bor−
der, while the central field has lozenges or scales (FIG. 9); another room featured simple
white tesserae in regular rows.
Rome, republican domus underneath the Domus Aurea4, end
of II century B.C.
Pompeii, VI,9,2 House of Meleagro8 – I century B.C.
Under the Domus Aurea in Rome were found some rooms belonging to an ancient re−
publican domus. One of these rooms had an opus signinum pavement decorated with
small crosses made of four white tesserae around a central black one (FIG. 6). The date
of the building is the end of the II century B.C.
Other examples of similar opus signinum pavements can be found in Pompeii, espe−
cially in the so called House of Meleagro, (Pompeii VI,9,2). One of its rooms has an opus
signinum pavement decorated with small rosettes or crosses made of four white tesserae
around a central black one (FIG. 10). The date of the pavement is I century B.C., a little
later than the one in Bratislava.
Villa of Procoio Nuovo5, II−I century B.C.
The roman villa of Procoio nuovo, located at the fifth mile of the via Tiberina, near
Rome, was built in the II−I century B.C..
One of its most important rooms, the atrium n. 2, had an opus signinum pavement with
a meander border of white tesserae; the central field is decorated with rosettes or
crosses made of four white tesserae around a central black one (FIG. 7).
This pavement is very similar to the one discovered in the Castle of Bratislava and has
the same date, II−I century B.C
Which was the function of the building?
Too little evidence is left to be sure: it could have been the house of a member of the
local élite, or a public building such as a basilica or even a temple.
Villa Adriana, Tivoli (Rome) – republican villa6, II−I century B.C.
Hadrian’s Villa (near Tivoli, Rome) was built by emperor Hadrian starting from 117
A.D., but in the site already existed an ancient republican villa, part of which is still visible
and preserved. The republican villa had several building phases, the oldest of which dates
to the period of Sulla, II−I century B.C.
FIG. 3−4 – Opus signinum pavement in the Castle Hill of Bratislava. Details of border and field deco−
ration (from BARTA−LESÁK−MUSILOVÁ−RESUTIK 2011)
FIG. 9 – Opus signinum pavement in the FIG. 10 – Opus signinum pavement in the House of Melea−
roman villa of Grottarossa, near Rome gro, Pompeii (from BLAKE 1930)
(from DE FRANCESCHINI 2005)
BARTA−LESÁK−MUSILOVÁ−RESUTIK 2011, p. 19; BAYER−PINTÉR−PARENCOVÁ−LESÁK−VISVADER 2013.
BARTA−LESÁK−MUSILOVÁ−RESUTIK 2011, p. 19; BAYER−PINTÉR−PARENCOVÁ−LESÁK−VISVADER 2013.
3
BECATTI 1961, p. 95 nn. 162 and 164 and plate III.
4
MORRICONE MATINI 1971, p. 11−12 n. 33 and plate 11.
5
DE FRANCESCHINI 2005, Villa di Procoio Nuovo n. 1, pp. 1−3, see p. 2 and fig. 1,3.
6
DE FRANCESCHINI 1991, p. 128.
7
DE FRANCESCHINI 2005, Villa di Grottarossa n. 28, pp. 86−91, see pp. 89−90 and figg. 28,6 to 28,9.
8
BLAKE 1930, p. 28 and plate 4,4.
9
See website: http://www.archeobo.arti.beniculturali.it/montegibbio_sassuolo/villa_romana.htm
10
PASSARO 1997, p. 266 fig. 6.
2
Montegibbio (Modena)9: roman villa, I century B.C.
An ancient roman villa was discovered and excavated in 2006 and 2007, in Montegib−
bio near Modena (northern Italy). It had a cubiculum paved in opus signinum with a mean−
der border , whose central field has small crosses made of four white tesserae around a
central black one (FIG. 11). The villa lived until the V−VI centuries A.D., but the pave−
ment belongs to its earliest phase of the 1st century B.C.
Bellona (Caserta), Madonna degli Angeli10: roman villa, I century B.C.
This large villa, built in opus incertum and opus quasi reticulatum, is located on a hill that
had several artificial terraces supported by opus quadratum containment walls.
The villa also had a very large cistern, well preserved, for water supply. One of its rooms
has an opus signinum pavement decorated with crosses made of four white tesserae
around a central black one (FIG. 12).
FIG. 5 – Opus signinum pavement in the Edificio a Peristilio in
Ostia, near Rome (from BECATTI 1961)
FIG. 11 – Opus signinum pavement in the roman villa of Montegibbio,
Modena (from the website)
Bibliography
1
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BAYER−PINTER−PARENCOVA−LESAK−VISVADER 2013
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FIG. 12 – Opus signinum pavement in the roman villa of Bel−
lona (Caserta), Madonna degliAngeli (from PASSARO 1997)
DE FRANCESCHINI 1991
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MUOP – Municipal Monument Preservation Institute Bratislava, Slovak Republic