Rudston Roman villa

Rudston Roman villa is an archaeological site of a Roman country house in East Riding of Yorkshire featuring decorated mosaic floors and painted wall plaster. The residence contained multiple rooms adorned with scenes of hunts and animals bearing Latin inscriptions.

The site shows evidence of Iron Age occupation before a Roman residence was constructed in the third century. Discovery came in 1838 when a farm worker uncovered the decorated floors, revealing layers of habitation across different periods.

The mosaics discovered here reflect artistic tastes of Roman Britain, showing hunting scenes and animals that reveal how educated households displayed their status and interests. These decorative choices connect the residents to broader Roman-British cultural practices of the time.

The original mosaics are now housed at Hull and East Riding Museum where they are protected from the elements. The excavation site itself remains accessible for viewing, though the finest decorated pieces are displayed in the museum collection.

One mosaic features a bull labeled with Latin text TAVRVS OMICIDA, meaning man-killing bull, paired with a lion called LEO FLAMITER, the flaming lion. These unusual inscriptions offer rare insight into the wit and imagination of those who lived here.