A Mosaic Menagerie: Creatures of Land, Sea and Sky in Romano-British Mosaics

Abstract

One of the more attractive features of mosaic pavements in Roman Britain - as indeed in other parts of the Roman Empire - is the profusion of animals that inhabit the various fields. In her excellent new monograph, Patricia Witts reviews and analyses all known specimens of this “mosaic menagerie”. Her agenda is made clear from the start. “Seemingly overlooked as a subject of serious study, these appealing creatures were more than mere decoration or a convenient way of filling space. They are usually chosen with care and offer insights into the overall iconography of the pavements in which they appear.” I would argue for a more flexible position: sometimes the fauna were highly meaningful (as in pavements showing beasts parading around Orpheus), sometimes they were more generally relevant (as in the marine fauna of mosaics in bath-suites), sometimes they were stock fillers chosen from a decorative repertoire. But this is a matter of opinion, and Witts presents her case persuasively and with exemplary thoroughness.