Blog
Uncovering mosaics a painstaking process
January 15, 2019
By Annette Chrysostomou
The antiquities department has plans for two big ancient mosaics for this year, one in Larnaca and the other one in Akaki, outside Nicosia. It takes time, work, and many careful deliberations however before such big excavations can be preserved properly and displayed to the public.
Both of them are well worth the effort.
The rare mosaics in Larnaca were discovered in 2016 and date from the second century AD and include a Roman public bath with a floor depicting the 12 feats of Hercules.
The ornate mosaic in Akaki, probably part of a villa belonging to a wealthy individual, dates from the fourth century AD and depicts scenes from a chariot race.
Excavations of the four-metre wide, 26-metre long area began in 2013 and the full mosaic was seen briefly for the first time in 2016.
According to the BBC, only nine similar mosaics, showing a hippodrome race, have been found at ancient Roman sites.