Hotel discovery shows Romans were on-trend
ROMANS followed interior design fashions as much as we do today, a discovery has suggested, after a lavish 1,800-yearold hotel was unearthed beneath a London car park.
Archaeologists have made a “oncein-a-lifetime” discovery of two wellpreserved mosaics near the Shard and believe the artworks adorned part of the dining room of a mansio – a hotel for travelling officials.
These guests would covet the latest interior decor trends from the Continent, with one mosaic at the site found to match exactly examples in what is now Germany and Luxembourg, suggesting European artisans were hired to decorate the residence in Londinium.
The other mosaic is believed to have been made by more local mosaicists known to historians as the Acanthus group, whose designs have appeared at other Roman sites in Britain.
Sophie Jackson, with the Museum of London Archaeology group working on the site, said this shows that “Romans wealthy enough to think about decorating their homes were sensitive to design trends and styles and would be interested in what was ‘in’ aesthetically”.
Antonietta Lerz, site supervisor, said it was “a once-in-a-lifetime find in London” which showed that wealthy ancient residents were living “the good life” and “following the latest fashions”.
A previous mosaic found at the site in Southwark, once a suburb of Roman London, suggests that mansio administrators removed the old decorations and refurbished the site at least once.
The floral and knot pattern mosaics date from the 2nd or 3rd centuries, when London was a trade centre.
They will be removed by experts and displayed publicly.