Marina De Franceschini – Branislav Lesak – Margareta Musilova

Floor decoration in the roman world: opus signinum pavements on the Celtic acropolis of the oppidumin Bratislava (Slovakia) and in Italy

ForewordIn many roman buildings – where small parts of the walls are preserved – pavements

can still provide important information about their date and also their function andmeaning. Even if little evidence is left, pavements still give us a relative hierarchy betweenthe rooms: the ones with richer decoration were the most important – such as theatrium, 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 theRoman perfected the technique of opus signinum (also called cocciopesto), which wasmade 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 pavementswere decorated with colored stones of irregular shape; later on, the stones becamesquared 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 signinumones, using at first the same basic patterns; but very soon drawings and colors multipliedin an incredible variety of new designs. With the triumph of mosaics, opus signinum wasdowngraded to a more rustic and utilitarian use, mainly where waterproofing wasneeded, such as in cisterns, courtyards or on roofs. Since there was no reason to havedecorative patterns in such locations, tesserae and drawings disappeared.

The Castle Hill of Bratislava1, II−I century B.C.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 themost important rooms or buildings.

This is the case of the pavement recently discovered in the Castle Hill of Bratislava2, ina building located in the ancient oppidum of the town, whose prominent position showsthat it probably was the house of a member of the local Celtic élite.

The date of the pavement is II−I 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 showedthat it had a border with a meander pattern outlined with blue tesserae (FIG. 3), whilethe central field was decorated by rosettes (or crosses) made of a central red tesserasurrounded 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 yellowdolomite and gray quarzite for the pavement; also the tesserae used for the decorationwere made with blue or red stones of local provenance.

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.

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.

Comparisons 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 importantrooms of the buildings. They are the model that inspired the pavement found in Bratislava.

Ostia, Edificio a Peristilio3, II century B.C.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 patternof small crosses made of four white tesserae around a central black one (FIG. 5). A frag−ment is preserved in the Antiquarium of Ostia.

Rome, republican domus underneath the Domus Aurea4, endof II 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 withsmall crosses made of four white tesserae around a central black one (FIG. 6). The dateof the building is the end of the II century B.C.

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 orcrosses 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 hasthe same date, II−I century B.C

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 visibleand preserved. The republican villa had several building phases, the oldest of which datesto the period of Sulla, II−I century B.C.

1 BARTA−LESÁK−MUSILOVÁ−RESUTIK 2011, p. 19; BAYER−PINTÉR−PARENCOVÁ−LESÁK−VISVADER 2013.2 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.htm10 PASSARO 1997, p. 266 fig. 6.

Bibliography

BARTA−LESÁK−MUSILOVÁ−RESUTIK 2011Barta P. – Lesák B. – Musilová M. – Resutik B.,Witness of the Past. The newest and older discoveries of theBratislava Castle, Bratislava 2011.

BAYER−PINTER−PARENCOVA−LESAK−VISVADER 2013Bayer K.− Pintér F. – Parencová P. – Lesák B. – Visvader V., Pavement in Roman type building in late LaTene period (1st century B.C:) on the castle hill in Bratislava, SK. Survey and Conservation concept. 2013

BECATTI 1961Becatti G., „Mosaici e pavimenti marmorei” in Scavi di Ostia IV 1961.

BLAKE 1930Blake M.E.,”The Pavements of the Roman Buildings of the Republic and Early Empire” in Memoirs of theAmerican Academy in Rome, 1930, pp. 7−160.

In its surviving atrium was discovered an opus signinum pavement, decorated withwhite tesserae; the border has a double meander similar to the one of the Castle ofBratislava, while the central field has lozenges (FIG. 8).

Villa of Grottarossa, near Rome7. II−I century B.C.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 simplewhite tesserae in regular rows.

Pompeii, VI,9,2 House of Meleagro8 – I 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 opussigninum pavement decorated with small rosettes or crosses made of four white tesseraearound a central black one (FIG. 10). The date of the pavement is I century B.C., a littlelater than the one in Bratislava.

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 acentral 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 roomshas an opus signinum pavement decorated with crosses made of four white tesseraearound a central black one (FIG. 12).

Plan of Bratislava with the Roman type architecture on the Acropolis and Celtic ramparts with V−shaped ditchand pincer gateway

Plan of the archaeological excavations (2008 – 2010)Hypothetical reconstruction of the Roman pavement, based on the discovered fragments. After B. Lesák and I. Klas

FIG. 1−2 – Opus signinum pavement in the Castle Hill of Bratislava (from BARTA−LESÁK−MUSILOVÁ−RESUTIK 2011)

FIG. 7 – Opus signinum pavement inthe roman villa of Procoio Nuovo, nearRome (from DE FRANCESCHINI 2005)

FIG. 8 – Opus signinum pavement in the republican Villa withinHadrian’s Villa of Tivoli, Rome (from DE FRANCESCHINI 1991)

FIG. 9 – Opus signinum pavement in theroman villa of Grottarossa, near Rome(from DE FRANCESCHINI 2005)

FIG. 10 – Opus signinum pavement in the House of Melea−gro, Pompeii (from BLAKE 1930)

FIG. 11 – Opus signinum pavement in the roman villa of Montegibbio,Modena (from the website)

FIG. 12 – Opus signinum pavement in the roman villa of Bel−lona (Caserta), Madonna degliAngeli (from PASSARO 1997)

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. 5 – Opus signinum pavement in the Edificio a Peristilio inOstia, near Rome (from BECATTI 1961)

Rome, opus signinum pavement of a republican domus under−neath the Domus Aurea, (from MORRICONE MATINI 1971)

DE FRANCESCHINI 1991De Franceschini M., Villa Adriana – Mosaici, pavimenti, edifici, Roma 1991.

DE FRANCESCHINI 2005De Franceschini M., Ville dell'Agro Romano, Roma 2005.

MONTEGIBBIO, roman villa:(http://www.archeobo.arti.beniculturali.it/montegibbio_sassuolo/villa_romana.htm)

MORRICONE MATINI 1971Morricone Matini M.L., „Pavimenti di Signino repubblicani di Roma e dintorni” in Mosaici Antichi inItalia, Studi monografici 1, Roma 1971.

PASSARO 1997Passaro C., „Il sistema di raccolta delle acque nella villa romana di Bellona” in Uomo Acqua e Pesaggio,Atti dell'Incontro di studio sul tema Irreggimentazione delle acque e trasformazione del paesaggio an−tico. S. Maria Capua Vetere, 22−23 novembre 1996 (Stefania Quilici Gigli ed.), Roma 1997, pp. 263−268

Floor plan of the archaeological building site 7/2008 with pavement fragments marked „opus signinum”

Les Modeles Italique dans l´Architecture des IIe – Ier siecles avant J.−C. En Gaule et dans les Regions Voisines, Toulouse, 2−4 octobre 2013MUOP – Municipal Monument Preservation Institute Bratislava, Slovak Republic

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