Lopen Roman Mosaic

A large Roman mosaic from a villa in the village of Lopen, Somerset, accidentally discovered in 2001 during construction of an access road near Bridge Farm. Rescue excavation revealed an eight-roomed villa occupied from the 3rd to early 5th century AD, with a fine mosaic pavement dating to c. 360 AD. The tesserae are made from local materials including Blue Lias limestone and Ham Hill bioclastic limestone. Designs include dolphins, a cantharus, flowers, fish, and guilloche patterns. Located just under 1 km from the Fosse Way, it won the Tarmac Finders Award at the 2002 British Archaeological Awards.