3rd century AD mosaic discovered in submerged Italy villa off Southwestern coast

Archaeologists are in the process of restoring a 3rd century AD mosaic made up of thousands of marble pieces in a submerged villa on the southwestern coast of Italy.

The Parco Archeologico Campi Flegrei (PACF) is one of the organizations spearheading the restoration project. Images released by PACF depict the colorful designs created from repurposed marble pieces. The walls that once surrounded the mosaic were more than 10 meters high but have since collapsed onto some of the mosaic pieces, according to Fox Weather.

The mosaic, located in the reception room of the villa, covers about 250 square meters. The villa sank into the Mediterranean Sea around 1,500 years ago due to volcanic activity called bradyseism.

Talking about the discovery in a post on Facebook, the PACF said, "We're in the Bay Submerged Park and this marble floor has been at the centre of the latest underwater restoration work: a new challenge, very complicated, due to the extreme fragment of the remains and their large expansion. This is the sectile opus of the Villa's reception room with a protiro entrance: over 250 square meters of paintings made towards the end of the Roman Empire, shortly before Bradisism brought the remains to the bottom of the sea."
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The underwater setting of the villa allows fish to be seen swimming over the mosaic. Archaeologists are working on excavating the villa and restoring the mosaic both underwater and on land. Portions of the mosaic have been placed in large freshwater tanks to remove salt from the seawater.

Regarding this effort, PACF said, "Archaeologists will continue to excavate the villa and restore the mosaic both underwater and on land."

The villa is situated in the ancient city of Baiae. According to the Protezione Civile of Italy, the coastal strip of Baiae began sinking due to the phenomenon known as bradyseism. This volcanic activity is a notable characteristic of the archaeological site of Campi Flegrei, which encompasses the excavation area of the villa.