Bignor Roman Villa




Villa cover-building

Welcome To the second article of three, comparing the mosaics at Fishbourne Roman Palace, Bignor Roman Villa and the Roman Villa at Brading, on the Isle of Wight.

View of surrounding countryside

The Bignor Villa lies a little east of the village of Bignor, on a slope of a ridge of upper greensand and sits in a downland setting in the centre of the South Downs National Park. It has stunning views to the south, east and west. The place name ‘Bignor’ could be derived from the old English ‘Bican Yfer’, perhaps meaning ‘Bica’s slope’ – signifying that a Saxon named Bica owned the land on this crest. The site chosen for the villa gave close access to Stane Street, which gave direct communication with the Roman market town of Chichester and of London. The villa’s owners would , therefore, have had the opportunity to sell their agricultural produce in both of these developing towns . As both these settlements became more populated the villa’s owners had expanding markets and, no doubt, they would have become more and more wealthy. There was also the possibility that they could have exported grain to the Roman military on the Continent. With more prosperity, the villa would have expanded in size and grandeur and by the 4th century AD had become extensively integrated in Roman culture, as bourne out by the mosaics now on view.

View of surrounding countryside

It seems that the villa was resurrected on 18 July 1811, when a farmer, by the name of George Tupper, was ploughing and his plough struck a large stone. In all probability, this was part of the external rim of the six-sided ornamental fountain constructed of white limestone. The fountain can be viewed in the Ganymede Room. The site was open to public viewing on 13 October 1814 and the records show that nearly a thousand entries were made in the visitors’ book between March – November 1815. After the villa’s discovery, a Mr John Hawkins took responsibility for its excavation. He invited a Mr Samuel Lysons to supervise the excavations which he did until his death in 1819. The site then remained sleeping until 1925, when a Mr S E Winbolt re-excavated and repaired the cold bath and then in 1929 part of the Venus mosaic was relaid. Between 1956 and 1962, Professor S S Frere was engaged in re-excavating part of the north, south and west wings of the courtyard villa. At present the Villa is a Scheduled Historic Monument (73) and is privately owned by Mr Jack R Tupper.

OVERVIEW

I think it is appropriate, because of the vast rainbow of colours of the tesserae that can be seen in the mosaics at Bignor, I should make reference to them now rather than when I am discussing the individual room mosaics. The cretaceous and Jurassic rock formations of south east England, in all probability, would have provided most of the subtle shades of colours used in the mosaics at Bignor. Liassic rocks of the lower Jurassic provide the sandstones. These can be yellow, blue, black/grey and a brownish red. The white tesserae could have been chalk from the cretaceous deposits of southern England. Jurassic shale, from Kimmeridge in Dorset, would have been the grey/black tesserae. Also, Jurassic limestone from the Purbeck beds in Dorset can be seen in the varying shades of grey and blue. Some tile and brick account for most of the orange/red tesserae. The mineral content of all these rocks are responsible for the nearly new, fresh and bright viewing when they are gently wiped with a damp mop. Blue and green glass is also present as tesserae but, unlike Fishbourne, no samian tesserae are seen here. The tesserae vary in size from one inch square on the red/orange borders, but within the mosaic floors they can be one fifth of an inch square, a quarter of an inch square, or a third of an inch square, although the standard size is a half an inch square. All the mosaics at Bignor, in all probability, were constructed in the late third century AD, or early fourth century AD.

THE TOUR

Model of the Villa



The first room to view is the museum, just to the right after entering the villa complex. This room houses the model of the villa which depicts how the villa would have been laid out in about 350AD. It is wonderfully crafted and was constructed in 1972 and is the work of Mr J Morgan, the then curator of the site. The model stands on a geometrical mosaic eight and a half feet square, sitting in a tessellated pavement constructed from red brick/tiles.

Four rows of white tesserae lead the eye into a surrounding two rows of black tesserae. Beyond that we see a white background containing two black diminishing boxes. The smaller box in its centre contains a solid black box. Another design is a black triangle containing three smaller white and one black triangle. Next to that can be noticed a black bow contained in a box. The bow touches the surrounding black tesserae on the north, south ,east and west of the box. The design teases and tantalizes the eye as it all seems to interlock. Underneath one of the white legs which help to support the model a circular setting of black tesserae can be noticed. Within that – do I detect some coloured tesserae…? The centre of this mosaic has collapsed onto the under floor heating system, hypocaust, which is a huge disappointment, for it would have been interesting to see how the missing inner design would have related to the outer design, described above. This mosaic is of quality workmanship, not just for the design, but also the black and white tesserae are very neatly laid and pleasing to the eye.

Mosaic beneath the Model

If we now exit this room, opposite we can view the Ganymede and Dancers Mosaic. A large room of two compartments. This is a triclinium/dining-room and at the southern and larger end we view a six sided piscine/water basin constructed from white limestone. The external rim of each side measuring two feet eleven inches. It is four feet in diameter, and 1 foot eight inches deep and has a step about half way down. Within the six hexagonal panels would have been dancing girls (maenads) erotically dressed with veils. Green glass can be observed in their veils. This colourful room had no under floor heating and in all probability was a summer room of entertainment, where the wine flowed and was followed by erotic activity. Then perhaps during the winter months the proprietor of the villa could flaunt his knowledge of Greek/Roman mythology. I view this room with excited eyes and with stimulated thoughts and imagination, for in Greek mythology maenads were the immortal female followers of Dionysus which translates as the raving ones. They could be immortal goddesses of natural manifestations being the extremes of pleasurable emotions and actions fuelled by drunken intoxication.

Ganymede and Dancers Mosaic

Ganymede and Dancers Mosaic

In the northern part of the room Ganymede is abducted by Zeus in the form of an eagle to serve as a cup-bearer in Olympus. There Zeus granted him eternal youth and immortality and Ganymede became the symbol for the beautiful young male who attracted homosexual desire and love. The red cap worn by Ganymede is associated in antiquity with the inhabitants of Phrygia now modern day Turkey , centred around the Sakarya river. Sadly, all that is left for us to view of the dancing girls is the following – in the north panel there is a girl with a veil who is looking backwards, in the south a similar figure looking left, and in the south east there is another.

Ganymede being abducted by Zeus.By Samuel Lysons

The next room to view contains an almost complete geometrical mosaic pavement which measures 13 feet 4 inches by 5 feet 7 inches and within it sits two squares separated by a rectangle. As this room had under floor heating, I feel that this area could have been a cosy bedroom. The multi coloured tesserae are eye catching and they invite ones eyes to begin to engage with the complete floor. The contents of the rectangle are protected by a continuing interlocking guilloche.

Geometric Mosaic. Room 6

Geometric Mosaic Room 6. By Samuel Lysons

Within it a cup/vase can be noticed out of which grow acorns/lotus flowers (?) and heart-shaped leaves. The western square has a quatrefoil of heart-shaped leaves, with a circle in the centre, surrounded by four squares set diamond-wise and enclosing two intercepting links. Also seen in the cubes are swastikas, adjoining hearts and solomon knots.

Geometric Mosaic. Room 6 

All of these three motifs, I think, have a symbolic meaning. The Solomon knot has no visible beginning or ending and therefore it may represent immortality and eternity. The swastika is an equilateral cross with four arms bent at 90 degrees and would have been well recognised by both Greek/Roman and Celtic cultures. It could be read as life, power, strength and good luck radiating in all four direction – north, south, east and west as depicted on this mosaic. Perhaps the heart-shaped motifs symbolise the spirit, emotion and morals, therefore the heart becomes the seat of ones soul. The eastern square contains a smaller centre square and a smaller circle set diamond-wise with a protective guilloche border and a four-pointed flower pattern. The winged flower motif, in all probability, is another symbol of good fortune.

Part of  Room 7. By Samuel Lysons

Venus and Gladiators Mosaic. Room 7

Moving on from this room we can now view the’ Venus and Gladiators’ mosaic. As I enter this room, the mosaic begins to suck me in and the eyes of the female bust follow me wherever I roam within this room. The feeling of ambiguity shimmers into my mind, ….. is this the head of the Goddess Venus or the Goddess Juno? Juno was worshipped by the ancient Romans who, with her consort, the God Jupitor, rules over all aspects of Roman life, including the military. This could explain the gladiators being depicted beneath her in this mosaic. Beneath her we view a panel 14 feet long and 2 feet 3 inches wide filled with winged cupids playing the parts of gladiators at a training school. It seems that it was a Roman custom to represent phases of life playfully – here depicting the actors as cupids. It seems that the most popular duel was between the retiarius and the secutor. The retriarius is armed with a net, trident and a short sword.

Venus and Gladiators Mosaic. Room 7

He is lightly clad in a tunic and a girdle. The secutor wears a helmet with a visor, a breast plate, a leather leg guard on his left leg and holds a curved shield and a short sword. A retired gladiator performs the role of instructor/umpire and can be seen holding a rudus. From left to right we view the following scenes:



Venus and Gladiators Mosaic Room 7

Venus and Gladiators Mosaic Room 7

1. A secutor and a retiarius are fighting, with the instructor acting as umpire (magister) .
2. A secutor has disarmed the retiarius but the magister seems to intervene.
3. A secutor being armed and a retiarius being led to fight.
4. A secutor is about to kill the wounded retiarius.

The two stones with an iron ring attached would have probably both held a watching apprentice gladiator. The Goddess Juno also looked after the women of Rome and this deity was an embodiment of the traditional female roles of wife and mother. Her main festival, the Matronalia, was held on the first of March and each Roman woman was said to have her own image of Juno which represented her female spirit. Perhaps this heated room was, at certain times, strictly for the use by women only.

Venus and Gladiators Mosaic. Room 7

The head of the Goddess is 1foot 11inches high and sits in the middle of a circle. It shows a blue nimbus surrounding her head indicating her deity and she wears a headdress with a wreath of flowers. Most scholars are adamant that this is the head depicting the Goddess Venus. However, the accompanying symbols of birds are ambiguous as they are not distinctive enough to be confirmed as being peacocks, the bird which usually accompanies Juno, or pheasants which accompany Venus. The Goddess Venus is one of the most widely referenced deities in Greek/Roman mythology and embodies all the female attributes of enticement, seduction, sex and beauty. Surrounding the head of the Goddess, and sealed between two separate rows of continuing guilloche, a number of small motifs can be noticed. Above her head is a Solomon knot, this and all the small motifs originate from the cup/vase on a continuing and never ending trailing vine with leaves. What can we notice in these never ending circles? Hearts? Lotus flower? Seeds? Acorns? Ivy leaves? They all seem to be sealed together by the numerous hearts positioned outside but touching the circles. This 32 feet by 19 feet 10 inches mosaic is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship in both its design, neatness and impacting way the tesserae are laid. The passing of time has taken its toll and part of this mosaic was lifted and restored by the Art, Pavements and Decoration Company in the summer of 1929. All this was paid for by Mr Maurice Tupper. The Society of Antiquities also did some restoration work in the area around the head of the Goddess. A keen eye should be able to distinguish between the original mosaic and the restored part. Less can be seen of the southern part of this mosaic because the pilae of the hypocaust, which support the floor, have collapsed thus destroying that part of the mosaic, although parts of dancing cupids in panels are still visible around the cavity. Nevertheless, this mosaic still holds on to its intrigue and mystery, for there is so much to be viewed and discussed.



Head of Winter. Room 8

If we wander on we can now visit a large room 40 feet long and 19 feet wide (known as Winter). This room had contained a hypocaust. To the north we can view a small geometric mosaic which leads us towards the only remaining figure of a four seasons mosaic. This figure, on a white background, sits in an octagon of intersecting squares of guilloche and the bust stands 1 foot 10 inches high.

Winter-Room 8

It depicts winter and shows a sad face. The cold effect has been highlighted by the use of brown, blue-grey and black tesserae. The figure wears an expensive, British, hooded cloak well recognised in the third century AD. The cloak is mentioned in Diocletians Edit of Prices in 301 AD. My mind wonders in to how the mosaisist would have laid out the three missing figures representing Spring, Summer and Autumn. With the wide range of coloured tesserae available and matched with the sensitivity of how the winter figure is depicted, I feel they would have been a joy to view. Let’s dwell for a moment or two on the concept of this popular mosaic design of the four seasons. There is a close correspondence between the seasons and the stages of life – from birth to death, with spring being the birth, summer being ones youth and autumn ones adulthood and finally, winter being old age and eventually death. One of the motifs laid close to the winter figure is the Solomon knot, the symbol of eternal motion and the intertwining of space and time. Is this just a coincidence? Or is it to reinforce what the mosaisist is being instructed to show by the proprietor of this villa? This is, in all probability, a 4th century AD mosaic. In the southern part of this room only a fragment of mosaic remains. It depicts a dolphin enclosed in a white rectangular box contained in a surround of black tesserae. Surrounding the box is a continuing interlocking guilloche. Above the guilloche is a white triangle and contained within it is a smaller black triangle which houses the letters T R. The villa guide book (2012) offers up the possibility that this may be the signature of Terentius, who could be responsible for the design of this mosaic and the other 4th century AD mosaic seen in this villa. It is an intriguing suggestion – but if this person did exist he seems to have been lost in the fog of the past. To keep this article within certain boundaries, I suggest that for more information on the inscription, the reader seeks out an article written by Dr Stephen R. Cosh called the Bignor Inscription Reconsidered.

Dolphin and signature mosaic room 9



We can now enter a room, 10 feet by 12 feet, containing an earlier mosaic known as the Four Seasons. This mosaic was probably constructed in the 3rd century AD and is mainly constructed with black and white tesserae. Of the four heads depicted here only the head of winter is recognisable as it wears a black hood. Within the centre of the mosaic the black head of Medusa can be viewed, with spikes protruding from the head, representing snakes. One of the many stories from mythology regarding Medusa was that she was the only mortal of three sisters, known as the Gorgons. Medusa accused the Goddess Athena of being jealous of her beauty. Athena/Minerva, angered, responded by turning Medusa’s fair hair into snakes and cursed her by making Medusa so ugly that whoever looked into her eyes would be turned into stone. In classical antiquity the image of the Medusa head would, therefore, become a powerful protective amulet against all forms of evil spirits. The symbolism of this could be read as to protect the four seasons of the year and the occupants of this room from evil influences. Interestingly, when this room was first excavated, the walls remained up to 2 feet 10 inches in height. They were plastered with colour in five panels, the centre panel being white with two red panels on either side of the white. The panels were divided by blue bands and a wide band of black was noticed around the bottom of the panels. I am very fond of this mosaic as it still has lots to view and much to ponder over. Part of the mat survives and this leads the eye into the main layout of the floor. Within the first two black circles a black box and black diamond designs can be noticed. Also a dolphin and a fish can be seen near the head of winter. The two black circles are joined intermittently by interlocking thin bands of black tesserae. Beyond this a continuing, interlocking circle of guilloche constructed using red/orange, white and black tesserae surround the third black circle. Within the third black circle leaves/flower designs are viewed and the head of Medusa sits alone surrounded by the fourth black circle. Note that the two inner black circles are wider than the first two black circles.

Four Seasons Mosaic Room 33

Four Seasons Mosaic Room 33.By Samuel Lysons and R Smirke

We now find our way to the north corridor to view a geometric mosaic, 78 feet 9 inches long by 9 feet 6 inches wide. This is one of the mosaics at the villa that has been lifted and relaid on a bed of concrete to help ensure its long-term preservation. The lead pipe draining the piscina (in the Ganymede room) can be seen in the channel below the floor. Looking at the mosaic we view an outer border of red/orange cubes which leads the eye to three rows of white tesserae. Beyond that a continuing guilloche rests in a blue/grey background. Further in is a pattern of blue/grey labyrinth and red/orange squares with internal red dots on a white background. To the east, but now sadly lost, the design was similar but blues took the place of the red/orange and it was edged with a blue and white triangular pattern.

Northern Corridor

We now venture outside and proceed in a south easterly direction to view the Medusa mosaic in the bath suite. This room is 25 feet square and was probably an apodyterium (dressing room), in its centre rests a head of Medusa. Protruding in a lively fashion from the head, are fourteen snakes. Surrounding the mosaic is a chequerboard pattern of 6 inch squares consisting of red tiles and black kimmeridge shale. This room contained a hypercaust, no doubt to keep the bathers warm as they changed their clothes in readiness for a body-cleansing experience. The room next to this was the frigidarium (cold bath). The Medusa mosaic is a colourful piece of craftsmanship with a number of interesting, interlocking patterns to view. The Medusa head is in a central circle set in an octagon and is protected by a never ending and continuing red/orange, brown and white guilloche. The outer square of this mosaic consisted of a key and guilloche pattern, parts of which can still be viewed today. This encloses an inner square within which were five octagons formed by interlaced squares, four half octagons and four quarter octagons, the smaller spaces between these contained lozengers of black and white, some of which are still visable today.

Mosaic Floor in the Bath-House

Each octagon contained a circle, some containing a central motif. These motifs were surrounded by circles of triangles, coloured gulloche, and finished with wave patterns of black and white. The full design of this mosaic is superbly drawn in Samuel Lysons’ Volume Three of his Reliquiae Britannico – Romane. The Bignor Villa in its final form covered four and a half acres, making it one of the largest in Britain. The owners were wealthy and were perhaps men of prominence who played their part in the administration of the Civitas of the Regnenses, centred at Chichester.

Mosaic from the Bath-House

I highly recommend a visit to the remains of this Roman villa, whether you are a resident or a visitor to this island. If you are blessed with a sunny day, just dwell for a few minutes and view the beautiful countryside that surrounds you. Then enter, arm yourself with a guide book, and let your eyes and mind be seduced by what awaits to be viewed. Afterwards, in the Bignor café, enjoy a pot of fresh coffee and a homemade cake. What then may enter into your mind is the thought of how many generations of the Tupper family have nourished, maintained and financially supported, from their own resources, the well-being of this establishment. Without them, perhaps all we would have left to view today are the wonderfully crafted drawings of Samuel Lysons, completed nearly 200 years ago for his third volume of Reliquiae Britannico – Romane.

Plan of the Bath House



CONCLUSION

In my mind, I wonder if there is a family connection between the Bignor villa and the huge villa/ Roman palace at Fishbourne. The distance between the two villas, by modern roads, is only 18 miles. Archaeological evidence seems to suggest that a Romanised farm at Bignor existed there by the early 2nd century AD. Samian pottery, of the late 1st century AD and two coins of Trajan (98-117 AD) were excavated there. The first stone building is believed to have been erected sometime after 250AD. The Fishbourne Villa experienced a destructive fire between 270-290AD. The archaeological excavations at Fishbourne, during the 1960s, uncovered a stack of glass window panes, tesserae and mortar in preparation for use in the near future. Around the time of the fire at Fishbourne the Franks and the Saxons were harassing sea traffic in the English Channel, impeding trade with the Continent. Importing and exporting was becoming less financially productive, therefore more intensive farming could have been a more worthwhile and financially rewarding option. By the late 3rd century AD the Romans were beginning to build, what is now known as, the Saxon shore forts all along the south Coast of England to offer protection from the potential threat of invading Germanic tribes. The villa at Bignor would therefore have offered more security as it is further away from the coast and in return there would have been ready made building material to be taken from the remains at Fishbourne. I feel there is an opportunity here for a graduate of archaeology to do a research paper to compare the sourcing of the building material at Fishbourne with that at Bignor.