La Olmeda Roman Villa

La Olmeda is a palatial Late Roman villa in Pedrosa de la Vega, Palencia, Spain, discovered in 1968 when a farmer ploughed up a Roman bronze piece. The complex spans 3,000 square metres with 27 rooms arranged around a peristyle courtyard, 12 of which contain mosaic floors. It houses the largest collection of polychrome mosaics preserved in situ in Western Europe, totalling 1,450 square metres. The main oecus features a celebrated mosaic depicting Achilles discovered by Ulysses at Skyros, surrounded by portrait medallions and a hunting scene. The villa developed from the 1st to 3rd centuries AD with major 4th-century reconstruction.