Museum of Mosaics, Devnya, Roman villa museum in Devnya, Bulgaria
The Museum of Mosaics in Devnya preserves the floors of a Roman residential building from the 3rd century, with rooms arranged around a central courtyard. The floors display elaborate patterns and mythological scenes, including a large Medusa mosaic.
The villa was built in the late 3rd or early 4th century AD, perhaps under Constantine the Great, on the site of earlier buildings destroyed in the Gothic raids of 250–251. Research from 1976 uncovered the House of Antiope, and the museum opened in 1986. The villa was abandoned in the 7th century during the Avar and Slavic invasions.
The mosaics display scenes from Greek mythology that decorated the home of wealthy Romans. Visitors can see today what stories and gods mattered to the people who lived here.
Access to the museum is through a marked entrance with clear signage throughout the archaeological site. It helps to wear comfortable shoes since the ground is uneven and the rooms remain in their original state.
The best-known mosaic, in the 8 m × 8 m tablinum, shows Medusa inside a round shield of Athena; despite the snakes in her hair, her face is mild, and the image served as a talisman against evil. She looks slightly right with her eyes turned left, and tiles in many shades give the face volume.
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