Lullingstone Roman Villa

Construction The earliest part of the villa was built around AD 82. It was situated in an area near to several other villas, and was close to Watling Street, a Roman road by which travellers could move to and from Londinium, Durobrivae, Durovernum Cantiacorum, and the major Roman port of Rutupiae (i.e., London, Rochester, Canterbury, and Richborough, respectively). Enlargement Around 150 AD the villa was expanded and a heated bath block with hypocaust was added, but it was later rebuilt around 290 AD after being abandoned for almost a century.'''''' Two marble busts from the 2nd century found in the cellar perhaps depict the owners or residents of the villa, which may have been the designated country retreat of the provincial governors. There is some evidence that the busts are those of Pertinax, governor of Britannia in 185–186 (and later Roman emperor in 193), and his father. In the 3rd century, a larger furnace for the hypocaust as well as an expanded bath block were added, as were a temple-mausoleum and a large granary. In the 4th century, the dining room was equipped with a fine mosaic floor with one illustration of Zeus or Jupiter, disguised as a bull, abducting Europa and a second depicting Bellerophon killing the Chimera. Destruction and rediscovery Sometime early in the 5th century, a fire destroyed the building, and it was abandoned and forgotten until its excavation in the 20th century. While the discovery and some additional evidence was noted, no further excavation took place. In his excavation reports, Lieutenant-Colonel G. W. Meates covers the initial excavation of the site, including the discovery of the boundaries of the villa, coin and pottery evidence, and various rooms that were discovered. 2nd century: the Flavian to Antonine period At the original excavation, the full extent of the house built and maintained during the Flavian dynasty to the Nerva-Antonine dynasty was unknown. However, it is thought that the Bath Room and the Basement Room may have been built during this era. From geological evidence, such as different layers of clay, it is suggested that the few stairs leading to the basement were built during this period rather than the 4th century, as originally thought. 4th century The 4th century was an eventful era for the villa, with large renovations taking place, and probably the fire. Some of the renovations of the villa include the designing of the mosaic floor in Room 5 and the construction of another room. This evidence suggests that the site may have been used as a burial ground in early Anglo-Saxon Britain. ==Rooms==

. It depicts a man who is about 50 years old, possibly a family member, or possibly the Emperor Pertinax when he was governor of the province of Britannia. fresco from Lullingstone Villa, which contains the only known Christian paintings from the Roman era in Britain. Dining room Rooms 12 and 13, previously known as Rooms 9 and 10, include the dining room, or triclinium, which was situated in the centre of the main building. As the largest room in the villa on the western side, it connected all other rooms to the north and south together via a large verandah. The dining room was highly decorated with a pair of large mosaics on the floor dating to the mid-4th century. One depicts the abduction of the princess Europa by the god Jupiter or Zeus who is disguised as a bull, whilst the other depicts Bellerophon slaying the Chimera, whilst surrounded by four sea creatures, including dolphins. In each of the four corners of the Bellerophon mosaic there is a bust of the seasons personified including winter, spring, summer, and autumn. With the measurements of the apse being 6.25 metres by 4.88 metres at its largest points, the dining room was spacious, with potentially enough room to contain a couch. This chamber, filled with chalk, also shows evidence of burned charcoal that may have been used for heating. Just after the 3rd century, this niche had been covered over, as the whole room had been redecorated with white plaster painted with red bands, and two busts of male figures had been placed in the room. Some scholars have theorised that at this point the inhabitants focused their worship on household deities and ancestor spirits, largely abandoning the worship of the water deities. In the 4th century the room above the pagan shrine was apparently converted to Christian use, with painted plaster on the walls, including a row of figures of standing worshipers (orans), and a characteristic Christian Chi-rho symbol. Some of the paintings are now on display in the British Museum. According to English Heritage, which maintains the site: The overall purpose of the chapel other than worship is not certain, but it is thought that it was used for "liturgical worship" such as baptisms. Based on the fact that the Christian artwork was large in size, K. S. Painter suggests that the owners of the villa at this time were not only Christians, but also wealthy. Graves A Romano-Celtic temple-mausoleum complex was constructed around 300 AD to hold the bodies of two young people, those of a male and a female, in lead coffins. Although the young woman's coffin was robbed in antiquity, the other remained in situ and undisturbed, and is now on display at the site. == Art and artefacts ==

The Victory Gem Discovered during the initial excavations by G.W. Meates, the Victory Gem is a "Roman cornelian intaglio". Cornelian intaglios like this were normally set in rings, and based on its size, it is thought that its ring was large. Measuring 23 by 19 by 5 mm, it is one of the largest gems ever found in Britain. One of the busts is thought to date to the Hadrianic period. Though they are both quite well preserved, the second, and larger of the busts was more damaged when it was found during the initial excavations. According to excavation reports, it is not entirely certain why they were placed in the Basement Room. It was noted, however, that after the period of abandonment, those who reoccupied the villa may have decided to keep them for their own purposes. ==References==