This villa was home to a wealthy family living in Roman Alexandria, Egypt, during the 1st and 2nd century AD.
Plan of Existing Remains (2000) by Wojciech KolatajAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Only 1/4 of villa has been uncovered, but the design likely followed the domestic architecture common in the rest of the Mediterranean world for urban villas.
The Courtyard
The Roman house was both a private space for the family, but also a site of social and business interactions. The open courtyard was the focal point of the house and one of the most public areas of the house and was carefully designed and decorated to impress guests.
It also acted as the point of communication for people in different areas of the house and provided lighting to the rooms around it.
Floor Plan of Villa and Shelter (2000) by Wojciech KolatajAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The Triclinium
This room was the dining room and one of the spaces where friends could join the family for eating and entertainment and was connected to the central courtyard.
Triclinium Reconstruction (2000) by Wojciech KolatajAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
This reconstruction shows what the design of the floor would originally looked like.
The mosaic floor was created using two different techniques: opus tesselatum around the , which uses small cubes of stone (probably what you think of when you hear "mosaic"), as well as opus sectile, which uses larger pieces of stone cut in different shapes to create the pattern.
Floor Plan of Villa and Shelter (2000) by Wojciech KolatajAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The Cublinium
This room, which was entered from the courtyard was likely a bedroom or cubiculum. The elaborate floor included 9 bird panels, which give this place it's name "The Villa of the Birds".
It was used not only as a bedroom, but also a place for relaxation, and a private space to meet with close friends or conduct confidential business.
Bird Mosaic after Restoration (2006-12) by Edwin C. BrockAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Each panel features a different bird, some with pomegranates, leaves, or flower buds in the background, and are surrounded by a braided border. The rest of the floor is decorated with geometric designs.
Floor of Bedroom with Bird Mosaics (2020-09) by Tessa LiteckyAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Birds are a common theme in Egyptian mosaics but other elements of the design show the influence of artistic styles from Greece and the Western Mediterranean. This is one of only a few examples of a figural mosaic floors from Roman Alexandria.
Floor Plan of Villa and Shelter (2000) by Wojciech KolatajAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The Annex
Floor of Bedroom with Bird Mosaics (2020-09) by Tessa LiteckyAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
This room is the smallest and was only separated from the neighboring room by a thin screen so it much have been part of the bedroom. The floor is decorated with a geometric black and white mosaic, one of the most popular designs of Roman mosaic floors in Egypt.
Floor Plan of Villa and Shelter (2000) by Wojciech KolatajAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
A coin depicting the Roman emperor Hadrian was found in this room, which means it was built no later than 133 AD.
Overview of Panther Mosaic (2020-09) by Tessa LiteckyAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The use of this small room is unknown, but it was connected directly to the courtyard. This is confirmed by the fact that the floor design, which features a panther at the center, is positioned towards the courtyard.
Discover More:
Putting Together the Pieces
Can You Name These Birds?
There's No Place Like Home
Kom el Dikka
Stroll Through the Villa of the Birds
The conservation of the Villa of the Birds was carried out from February 1998 to June 1999 financed by ARCE, through the Egyptian Antiquities Project (EAP), and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Supplemental work including landscaping and construction of visitors’ roads was carried out by Polish Egyptian Preservation Mission sponsored jointly by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Polish Center of Archeology. Read more at arce.org.
Story Created by Tessa Litecky, ARCE
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