Lullingstone Roman Villa and the Darent Valley
Mosaic depicting Europa and the Bull

Mosaic-Making

The incredible mosaics at Lullingstone are intricate works of art. They were created by mosaic-makers, or 'mosaicists', to decorate important buildings like villas. Although there were many highly skilled craftspeople in the Iron Age, mosaic-making was a new technique introduced to Britain by the Romans. 

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An illustration of a man kneeling over a mosaic he is adding tiles to. A bucket sits beside him on one side and some small tiles on the other. He is adding tiles to a semi-circular design on the floor made up of red colours.
Mosaicists were artists designing and creating large artworks on the floors of many villas in the Darent Valley.

What was life as a Mosaicist like?

Mosaicists were highly-skilled workers who often had to create very complicated and intricate patterns. Many of the geometric designs and figures such as animals were copied from other artworks or pattern books. Sometimes mosaicists were even working from memory. Mosaicists worked for wealthy people who could afford expensive decoration in their homes.

Some mosaicists came from other places in the Roman Empire to work in Britain. Eventually, some mosaicists organised themselves into local 'schools' and workshops which specialised in particular designs which they used in their local areas. As the demand for mosaics increased at the end of the 2nd century, foreign craftsmen and local apprentices might even have worked together. 

Mosaics in the Darent Valley

Click on the pictures below to find out more about mosaics found in the Darent Valley.

The remains of a tiled floor with small dark brown cubed tiles and larger pieces of rubble.

Tessellated Floors

Tessellated Floors

Mosaics are made up of small cubes of stone, and sometimes glass, called tessarae. Mosaicists cut individual tesserae by hand, either in a workshop or where the new mosaic was being installed. At Lullingstone Roman Villa, different materials were used to show different colours. There are red and blue ceramic tiles, white chalk, sandstone and possibly some marble too. Even simple mosaics took a lot of time and effort to create. Mosaics were sometimes created where they were laid. More complicated designs were made elsewhere and transported to the villas they were made to decorate.

Tessellated floors have been found at other villas in the Darent Valley too, like Otford Church Field Villa. 

 

Tessellated floors at Otford Church Field Villa © Discovering Roman Otford Project (DROP)



The mosiac from the audience chamber at Lullingstone Roman Villa depicts the mythical Bellerophon mounted on the winged Pegasus killing the Chimera, surrounded by a highly complex geometrical border

Bellerophon, Pegasus and the Chimera

Bellerophon, Pegasus and the Chimera

Roman mosaics often show stories from myths. Wealthy and important Romans decorated their homes with mythical mosaics to show off how cultured and learned they were. The mosaic in the audience chamber at Lullingstone Roman Villa shows a famous mythical hero, Prince Bellerophon of Corinth. In the famous myth, Bellerophon rides the winged horse, Pegasus, and kills the Chimera, a fire-breathing she-monster.

 

Bellerophon, Pegasus and the Chimera mosaic at Lullingstone Roman Villa © Historic England



Mosaic depicting the abduction of Europa by Jupiter in the guise of a bull at Lullingstone Roman Villa

Europa

Europa

This mosaic at Lullingstone Roman Villa shows the story of Europa. She was a princess who was kidnapped by the Roman god Jupiter. The inscription on the mosaic suggests that the owner of the villa was well-educated and had read the story in poetry by famous poets like Ovid and Virgil.

 

Europa mosaic at Lullingstone Roman Villa © Historic England



Elevated black and white photograph of Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Meates overseeing the cleaning of the mosaics by two woman in 1955 at Lullingstone Roman Villa

Finding the Lullingstone Mosaics

Finding the Lullingstone Mosaics

Lullingstone Roman Villa was first discovered in around 1750 when holes for fence posts around Lullingstone deer park were dug through some mosaics.

In 1939, the Darent Valley Archaeological Research Group found roof tiles and small cubed tiles (tessarae) when a tree blew down in the same area. The group started to excavate in 1949 and continued until 1961. During this time they uncovered the mosaics you can see at Lullingstone today. By 1955, Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Meates was in charge of the excavations. The archaeologists and historians involved with the excavations were helped by volunteers and school children.



Activity Idea

ART AND DESIGN

Take on the role of a mosaicist and design and make your own mosaics. You could take inspiration from the mosaics at Lullingstone Roman Villa, a Roman myth, or maybe a story or place you know well. 

You can use our mosaic template and video to help you.

Download the template (64.2 KB)